


Love Song for Bobby John

by CBFirestarter, WaywardAF67



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Nephilim, Brothers, Castiel in the Bunker, Coda, Dad Cas, Dad Dean, Destiel Fluff, Did we mention its super Fluffy, Domestic Fluff, Episode: s12e23 All Along the Watchtower, Episode: s12e23 coda, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, M/M, Mild Angst, Nephilim, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Season/Series 12 Spoilers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Two Fathers, Uncle Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 16:46:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CBFirestarter/pseuds/CBFirestarter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardAF67/pseuds/WaywardAF67
Summary: When Castiel brings the newborn Nephilim home to the bunker, the Winchesters and their Angel are faced with a big decision that could change all their lives.





	1. Baby BJ

**Author's Note:**

> WaywardAF67 and I started this fic simply from chatting as friends based on what if the boys kept the nephilim baby. It has been so much fun to write, we hope you enjoy all the fluff. We hurried to finish this Fic prior to the Season 12 Finale so we could stay in our happy fluffy bubble, and we choose to keep Eileen alive in our fic as well. Special thanks to AngelYa for helping with the edit. - CB Firestarter

**May 19th 2017: 1 day old**

 

           “Dean, we can’t just kill this child. I know he’s the son of Lucifer, but that doesn’t make him inherently bad!” Cas shouted.

           “Look, I don’t want to kill an infant either, Cas, but what are we going to do with him? Every creature on this planet wants their hands on him. Even you can’t protect the kid from that much,” Dean retorted.

           “I know Dean, but look at him. He’s so innocent. He is powerful, but what if he’s good?”

           “Are you telling me you want to keep him?”

           “I don’t know, Dean. I just don’t want him dead.”

           “What about all the angels?” Dean asked Cas with a tinge of pain in his voice. They had been working to kill the Nephilim in order to get Cas back home, but Dean didn’t want Cas to leave again.

           “That’s not my home. It hasn’t been my home for several years. My home is here, with you and Sam. And maybe it is crazy, but I have to try and keep him safe. You can help me, and we can take him back to the bunker where it’s warded and safe. Or he and I will find our own way. Either way, I am not letting you kill this child.”

           Dean looked at Cas with awe, wondering where such a paternal instinct was coming from. Of course he didn’t want the baby dead - it was a baby, for Christ’s sake. But he also didn’t want the wrath of heaven raining down on him. Cas was family, though, and when it came down to it, Dean had his back.

          “Well I doubt you can change a diaper, so I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

 

**May 20th, 2017: 2 days old**

 

          Cas was at Babies R Us, and feeling overwhelmed. Dean had given him a list of items they would need for the child. Sam had offered to get the larger items such as the crib and car seat. Castiel was tasked with smaller items such as diapers, wipes, rash cream, bottles, and clothing.

          He was staring at the wide variety of bottles when a sales associate approached and asked if he needed any help.

          “Is there really a difference between these bottles? Are the $30 bottles any better than the $10?” Cas asked the associate.

          “You know, I ask myself that every time I stock. Back when I had children you just used a regular Gerber bottle. There weren't all these options,” the elderly woman said, shaking her head, and continued, “but I will tell you our best sellers are the Dr. Brown bottles. I don’t know what makes them so special, but moms love them. I am sure your wife will be happy if you brought those home.

          Cas gave the woman a sheepish smile. He didn’t want to explain how he came to have the child, so he just let the woman believe he was married and this was his first kid.

          “Thank you, ma'am. I’m sure we will be happy with this choice.”

          “How old is your baby?”

          “Oh, he’s just a few days old.”

          “Congratulations, papa. What’s his name?”

          Cas panicked. They hadn’t talked about a name. He and Dean were still working out the kinks of being “co-dads”, as Sam kept calling them. They had only referred to the child as “the baby”.

          Cas blurted out, “Bobby John,” remembering the time Dean had told him about the baby shifter, and the name they had used.

          As soon as the name rolled off his tongue he knew that had to be the child’s name. It was perfect., 

          Cas busted through the door of the bunker with a huge smile on his face and shouted for Dean.

          He heard a wail, and a muffled curse from Dean as he thundered down the stairs, “Dean, I have a great idea for--”

          Castiel turned the corner into the library and almost ran into Dean and the baby. He was met with a shush and a dirty look, “I just got him to sleep, man. Be quiet when you come in.”

          “My apologies, Dean,” Cas whispered.

          “It’s alright, man. I read it’s best if you don’t let the baby get used to sleeping in the quiet. That way they can sleep through anything. But that door slamming could wake the dead.”

          “I will make sure to remember that.” Cas felt a little embarrassed for not remembering to be quiet when he entered the bunker.

          “Dude, I sent you for like ten things, why do you have so many bags?”

          “They were having a good sale on onesies. They were all so cute, I couldn’t decide which ones to get. So I got several in varying sizes since we don’t know if he will grow at the rate of a normal human.”

          There was a sparkle in Dean’s eyes and he chuckled. Cas gave him a grumpy look, “What?”

          “Nothing, man. I’ve just never heard you call anything cute before.”

          “Wait until you see these - you will call them cute too.” Cas began pulling out several items of clothing and showed them to Dean, who was still rocking the baby to sleep.

           After showing Dean the onesies, most of which were covered in bees, the diaper bag with a large bee on the front, and a stuffed bee that the angel insisted the baby was to sleep with, Cas took the baby from him. He stared down at his sleeping form and softly whispered, “You’re going to look like a little bumblebee as soon as your co-daddy washes all your new clothes.” Cas heard Dean groan at the sound of co-daddy.

           “You’re going to be my little bumblebee and you’re going to grow up to be good and kind. Dean and I are going to teach you that your family doesn’t end with blood. You’re our son, our little Bee.” Cas brought his lips to the baby's forehead, and tucked the stuffed bee under his other arm. Maybe he was still a bit young for stuffed animals, but it wouldn't hurt anything being in the opposite side of the crib. 

            Cas looked up to see Dean smiling at him. “You know Cas, we don’t have a name for him yet,” he said.

            “Actually Dean, I think we do.”

 

**June 18 th 2017: 1 month old**

 

             Dean had finally finished assembling the crib Sam had grabbed at some superstore. It had taken him hours to put the damn thing together. He stood back, admiring his work, hands proudly on his hips. Now he just needed to find space for it in his room. He had already planned to push his desk against the front wall, and he should be able to fit the crib in.

            As he wrestled it through his doorway, thinking he should have built it in his room, he heard the whining of Baby BJ coming down the hall. Cas had the Baby resting on his shoulder, gently patting his back.

             “Is this the infant bed you spoke of, Dean?” Cas questioned, continuing to methodically pat the baby.

             “Yeah, it’s the crib. He can’t sleep in our arms every night - he needs a bed,” Dean grumbled, twisting the crib and finally getting it through the door.

             “I don’t mind holding him through the night, Dean, and why are you putting the crib in your room?” Cas asked with a perplexed look.

             “Why wouldn’t I? It’s a lot easier for me to check on him if he’s in my room.” Dean wasn’t sure what was so strange about that. Most people kept their kids in their room until they were older, right?

             “I figured Baby B would stay with me. I don’t need to sleep, so I am the better choice to watch him at night.” Cas had stopped patting the baby’s back and was now just swaying back and forth.

            Dean wasn’t sure what to do. He knew Cas had a point, but everything in him screamed to keep Baby BJ close.

             “You can’t be the only one checking on him, Cas, that’s not fair. I think he should stay here.” He knew it wasn’t really a reason, he just knew he wanted BJ with him.

             “It’s still illogical, Dean,” Cas said, examining his face and Dean could swear he felt his cheeks going red. Baby BJ started to twist and cry in Cas’s arms. Cas hushed him a little but the baby was not settling.

             “Hand him here,” Dean stretched out his arms and Cas reluctantly handed over the baby to Dean. Dean held the warm baby to his chest and began humming a song, letting it vibrate through his chest. He rested his cheek on the soft baby’s head and felt the little body go softly limp in his arms, falling asleep.

            When he looked up, Cas was staring at him with an odd look on his face.

             “I’ll tell you what Dean, we can keep Baby B in here with you if I can stay here too. I won’t need a bed, but I can bring in my favorite chair, if you’re okay with that?” Cas was looking at the floor now, making a circle with the toe of his shoe.

            Dean considered whether it would be weird to have Cas sitting there while he slept. Strangely, it didn’t bother him at all.

             “Just ‘til he can sleep alone right?”

            “Yes, Dean, just ‘til he can sleep alone.”

            “Okay, that works for me, but you don’t have to take him everytime he cries. I can get up with him too.” Dean wanted to make it clear he would pull his weight.

            Cas rolled his eyes at Dean. “Yes, Dean, if you must, but you need sleep that I don’t, so let me take the majority, okay?” Cas raised an eyebrow.

             “Alright, it’s a deal.” Dean couldn’t help but fight a smile, looking down at the warm little lump of a baby, fast asleep on his chest.

 

**July 21st 2017: 2 months old**

 

           There was nothing Dean loved more than watching his brother hold his son. The concept was still weird to Dean, but getting easier to process. He didn’t know how he went from fighting Cas about keeping the baby, to being his co-parent.

           It was Sam’s damn fault that Dean even started calling himself Bobby John’s dad in the first place.

           The first two weeks, Dean and Cas fought about everything. Who would feed him, who would change him, where he was going to sleep. They were always worried about scaring the baby, so they would whisper-argue, and for some reason that made everything more intense _._

           One night during one of their worst fights Sam had burst into the room, snatched the baby out of Cas’ arm, and started to whisper-shout, “Get your shit together! This isn’t a pissing contest. You are both this little guy's dads now. You are - you’re co-dads. Stop trying to out-father each other. You both decided to bring this kid into our lives, so it’s up to you to raise him. It doesn’t matter who changes him, who burps him, who whatever. Just get it done. You are a team, and if you are going to teach him to be good, you better start working together.” Sam had stormed out of the room and refused to give Bobby John back until Cas and Dean could start acting like the co-dads they were.

           Dean warmed at the memory. He hadn’t considered Bobby John his son until Sam said that. He had originally only planned on helping Cas out. He had no idea the kid would turn them into an old married couple the second he was around. He also didn’t expect to love him so completely. It had taken a while for him to get used to Cas and Bobby John being in his room, but now he couldn’t sleep without them. If Cas took Bobby John out of the room, Dean would wake up.

           He continued to watch his brother from the doorway, pondering how much their lives had changed in such a short amount of time.

           “Hey little guy, it's uncle Sam. I don’t get to hold you very much because your dads won’t put you down. You have a weird life, little dude,” Sam cooed at the baby. He was pacing back and forth the way Dean and Cas did and chatting the child’s ear off. “You are really special, you know that, Bobby John? That’s a mouthful don’t think? I think we should call you BJ. Then when your angel daddy calls you Bee it will be the perfect nickname.”

           Dean watched Sam shift the baby to his other arm, smiling, because he knew how heavy 11 pounds 4 ounces could get after a while.

           Sam continued, “I’m surprised your human daddy didn’t already give you a nickname. That’s kind of his thing. What are you going to call them when you get older? Will Cas be Daddy and Dean be Pops? Maybe you will just call them both Daddy. Or Dean Daddy and Cas Dad? I don’t envy you, you know. You have to learn to control your powers and have those two love-sick knuckle-heads as parents. Hopefully when you are older, I won’t have to explain to you why you have two parents that are not in a relationship.”

           Dean wanted to say something to Sam. To tell him to stop filling his son's head with that stupid fan fiction crap he found online during the Calliope case, but he let it slide. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was going to be mistaken for Cas’ husband more often than not, so he might as well get comfortable with it.

           He walked over to Sam and pulled out his phone to take a picture.

           “So, BJ, huh?”

           Sam blushed. “You heard that?”

           Dean smiled and replied, “Yeah, man. I like it”.

 

**August 13 th 2017: 3 months old**

 

             “CODE BROWN, CODE BROWN!!!” Sam heard Dean yelling from his bunker room. Sam had been sipping a coffee and clicking through local news articles at the map table when the cries for help rang through the bunker. Castiel was still out buying more formula, to Sam’s knowledge. He leapt up from the table, setting down his coffee and moving down the hallway at a brisk walk. He could hear the cries of baby BJ coming down the hall, and Dean’s frantic calls for help. When he turned the corner to Dean's room, the smell hit him and nearly knocked him over.

             “Dean, what the hell is going on in here?” Sam pinched his nose, slowly approaching Dean. Dean had one finger on the baby’s chest, holding him still, while the other was holding a pair of tongs he was using to pull back the very dirty diaper.

             “Code brown, man! I need help, do something!” Dean looked terrified and Sam had to admit that he would have rather taken down a wraith than this mess.

             “What happened?” Sam asked, slowly approaching the scene of the crime. Apparently baby BJ had made a mess everywhere. Sam gagged at the smell, pinching his nose again.

             “It’s everywhere, man! It’s like a damn war zone in here!” Dean sounded frantic, trying to talk over the crying baby. “Easy there, buddy, we got this, we got this. Right Sammy?”

             “Dude, you’re the one that wanted to play baby daddy.” Sam gagged again, holding his arm up over his nose now, eyes watering.

             “So help me, Sammy, if you leave me here, I’ll give you one guess where this diaper is ending up,” Dean growled at him and it stopped him in his tracks.

            Sam slowly approached the baby like it was ticking time bomb. Dean handed another pair of tongs to Sam who delicately tried to remove the offensive item from the baby. Right as he thought he might literally throw up, Cas came into the room.

             “What on earth is going on here?” Cas scolded looking at both of them. Relief flooded through Sam, and by the look on Dean’s face, he felt the same.

             “Dude, am I glad to see you,” Dean sighed. Cas furrowed his brow at both of them and looked down at baby BJ.

             “Step away from the infant,” Cas grumbled in his gravelly voice. Both Dean and Sam took a step back. Cas reached down and plucked BJ up out of the mess.

             “Come with me, little Bee. Daddy Cas will get you get all cleaned up,” Cas cooed at the infant, who had settled into a quieter, resigned cry. “As for you two, clean up this mess and carry in the formula from the garage. I swear I can’t leave the bunker for more than a minute and the whole place goes to…”

             “Shit?” Dean finished for him.

             “Very funny, Dean.” Cas walked out of the room.

            Sam stole a glance at Dean. Lightning fast, Sam threw his finger to his nose and yelled, “Not it!” then bolted from the room, as Dean yelled obscenities not fit for a child’s ears behind him.

 

**November 18 th 2017: 6 months old**

 

    “Dean, I do not think this erratic pacing is helping Bee settle down.”

Cas eyed Dean as he paced back and forth across the small examination room.

             “Are you really sure he needs this? I mean he is a Nephilim.” Dean said, eyeing the fidgety baby in his arms. Dean patted at Bobby John’s back, swaying back and forth.

             “He is still half human, Dean. Don’t you think we should err on the side of caution and cover all our bases?” Cas said, sighing in frustration. It was just a simple vaccination. Dean just grunted and continued to pace. Cas rolled his eyes, hoping for patience. He could see that little Bee was feeding off the stress from Dean.

             “May I?” Cas asked, reaching his hands out to Dean. Dean eyed him warily at first, clutching the baby to his chest.

             “I can do it. What, you think I can’t do it?” Dean said, insulted. Just then, the doctor walked in. Dean twisted his body to the side, shielding the baby from the doctor’s view.

             “Hello, there. My name is Dr. Churchill.” The very nice female doctor reached a hand to Cas.

             “I’m Castiel, and this is Dean and Bobby John,” Cas said, gesturing but Dean still just eyed her.

             “It’s nice to meet you. What a handsome family you have. Now, you’re here for his six month booster shots, correct?”

             Cas liked the doctor’s pleasant smile. She turned and dug through her drawer, pulling out two small syringes. Cas looked over Dean and saw him go white as a sheet. He walked over to Dean and leaned in so only Dean would hear him.

             “I can hold him, Dean, it’s alright.” Dean very slowly and reluctantly surrendered baby BJ into Castiel’s arms. Cas smiled at the boy and then held him up against his shoulder. Dean moved behind Cas, turning away from the doctor, but still standing close by.

             “Don’t worry, Dean, many parents have trouble seeing their kids get shots. I promise it will be over before you know it,” the doctor said with a smile, rubbing the baby’s back. Dean just huffed. The doctor gave two shots in Baby BJ’s chubby little leg and he let out a tiny little cry. To Castiel’s surprise he felt an immediate irrational dislike for the doctor, as he patted and cooed to the now crying baby. Dean turned around and rubbed a circle on BJ’s back.

             “It’s alright little dude, it’s all over. We did it,” Dean said, looking a little distressed himself.

             “He’s all set. You are free to head home. Take care of this little guy!” The doctor gave BJ’s foot a little squeeze before heading out of the room. BJ settled quickly and fell asleep, drooling on Cas’s shoulder. Dean moved to grab the baby back but Cas put up a hand.

             “I’ve got him Dean, don’t wake him up,” Cas planted a kiss on BJ’s soft head and Dean just nodded, still looking antsy to hold BJ.

             “Thanks Cas. Sorry I chicken out, man,” Dean said, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously.

             “No worries, Dean. That was more upsetting than I had originally imagined. Let’s get BJ home. Will you get the car?” Dean smiled at Cas and the three of them headed out the door for home.

 

**February 24 th 2018: 9 months old**

 

“Come on BJ buddy, I know you can do it! Da - Da, you can say it little dude, Da - Da - Dean!”

            Dean was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the bunker in front of BJ, who was sitting up, gnawing on a wooden block and looking at Dean with concentration. Cas stood in the doorway, hanging back, observing the two of them.

            “Now listen here, Bobby John. I know Daddy Cas gets you the good onesies that don’t give you a rash, and blends the homemade baby mush that you love. I know he’s a pretty great Daddy. But if you could do me a solid and say Dadda Dean first it would mean a lot to me, okay pal? I mean, who else is gonna teach you about classic rock, and who else hums you your favorite song before bed, right?” Dean smiled at BJ and booped him on the nose, handing him another dry block to wrap his mouth around.

            Cas smiled, watching the two of them, and BJ glanced up, catching his eyes and grinning.

            “Just once buddy, Da- Da- Dean,” Dean said slowly and clearly. BJ looked at Dean and then back up at Cas. Cas gave BJ a knowing little nod.

            “Da- Da- Deaaaan,” BJ exclaimed clearly and slowly, looking up at the shocked eyes of his adoptive father. Dean still hadn't noticed Cas in the doorway.

            “You said it! You did it, BJ! Can you do it again?” Dean asked, hands on his knees, leaning forward now. BJ grinned at Dean who was exuding pride.

            “DADA DEAN!” BJ pronounced, louder and more clearly than before. Dean reached over and swept BJ into the air, spinning him gently around, making him break out in giggles.

            “You did it, you said my name! Brilliant! I knew you were brilliant! CAS!” Dean turned to yell for Cas and saw him standing in the doorway. Cas couldn't help it - he was beaming at the two of them.

            “Hello, Dadda Dean,” Cas said with a humble smile, making a charming flush come into Dean’s cheeks.

            “He said his first word! Did you hear it? BJ, can you say it again for Daddy Cas?” Dean had BJ slung on his hip now. BJ smiled at Cas and again pronounced “Dadda Dean”, to Dean’s immense satisfaction.

            “That is very good, Bumblebee! I am so proud of you,” Cas said, planting a kiss on the baby’s forehead.

            “I told you he was advanced! He’s young to be talking.” Dean nodded as if Cas had ever said anything to the contrary.

            Cas wasn’t gonna argue this one. Instead, he continued to silently watch, smiling, as Dean tossed Baby BJ in the air, filling the room with the sounds of their laughter.

 

**November 5th, 2019 : 2 Years old**

 

            Cas always got a little nervous when Chuck was due to arrive. His past visits had been _tense_. Dean was never outright rude to Chuck, but he wasn't exactly warm and inviting. Cas suspected Dean was still mad about being an archangel’s meat suit.

            Castiel, however, was almost giddy the first time Chuck arrived. He had never met his father, and was always secretly jealous of Dean for meeting him before he did. The angel fawned over his creator, offering him anything they had in the house. Chuck politely declined, and simply asked if he and Dean would mind if he met his grandson. Cas was humbled by God asking him, a lowly Seraph and his human, if it was okay to meet the child that should have never been.

            “Dean, can't you make sure he stays clean,” Cas nags.

            “Sure Cas, let me just tell the two-year-old ‘you have to stay clean, God is coming for a visit’.”

            Cas rolled his eyes as he wet a washcloth. “You could at least keep the spaghetti out of his hair, Dean. He’s two - shouldn’t you have him using utensils by now?”

            “Do you want to fucking teach him how to eat?”

            “Dean, do not cuss in front of him.” 

            “Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time teaching him all that angel crap, he would have time to learn normal human things.”

             BJ decided that was a good time to join the conversation: “Angel crap.”

            “Great, Dean, now you have my son eating and speaking like a heathen.”

           There was a knock at the front door, and Cas shoved the washcloth at Dean. “Can you at least make him presentable?”

           As Cas was walking away he heard Dean say, “Daddy didn’t mean it. You are great at eating.” Cas huffed as he climbed the stairs, pulling the door back and beaming at Chuck.

           “Castiel, you look wonderful. Fatherhood is doing wonders for your skin,” Chuck said as he pulled Cas into a hug.

           “I see your sense of humor hasn't changed. I just hope my son is funnier than his father and grandfather.”

          “Aw Cas, you don't mean that. I created puns for a reason. They are magical.” It was sometimes still hard for Castiel to believe he could be so sassy to his father, but Chuck insisted he be himself.

           Cas lead them down the stairs to find Dean and BJ sitting in the war room. He was thankful Dean was re-dressing the baby. He was headed toward the pair, when he heard a tiny shriek. Panicked, he ran to Bobby John and scooped him away from Dean, while glaring at the other man. “What happened Bee? Are you okay?”

          “A-corn a-corn!” BJ pointed to Chuck. When Cas turned he saw a small turquoise unicorn. Rainbow mane and all.

          “Chuck dammit, how many times do we have to tell you no mythical creatures in the bunker,” Dean warns.

          “You're no fun,” Chuck mumbled as he took BJ from Cas’ arms and placing him on the unicorn's back.

          “Damn right, I’m no fun. You're not the one who has to deal with the fallout from all these gifts. He was up all night throwing up last time you were here.”

          “Hey, it wasn't my fault his dads didn't turn off the ice cream fairy.”

          “She was a living being. How was I to know she had an off button?” Dean cried out. Cas could sense the tension rolling off Dean and instantly began to regret being so hard on him earlier. Cas was stressed about Chuck’s visit and taking it out on Dean. As if didn’t Dean have his own set of worries when Chuck came over.

          Dean had confided in him one night after Chuck had left that he was worried every time Chuck came around. He was sure Chuck was going to see what a bad job he was doing and take the child away. Cas wished he had remembered that just a few moments ago when he was yelling at Dean for having a messy toddler.

          “Well, he certainly doesn’t get his sense of adventure from you,” Chuck joked.

          Cas could tell Dean had been pushed to his limit, and he reached out to comfort him, but pulled his hand back when he noticed the scowl on Dean’s face.

          Dean spit back, “He gets nothing from me, Chuck. He's not even really my kid. Cas wanted to do this alone and I just came in and tried to take over. Just like I do everything else. I have nothing of my own, why would a child be any different?”

          Cas felt his heart breaking for his friend. If anything, he viewed BJ as more Dean’s child than his own. Dean was the one teaching him how to eat. He was the one working on potty training, and he was the one showing Bobby John how to control his emotions, something Castiel never felt he could do.

         “Dean, wait,” Chuck’s voice boomed. The sound was so startling, he was sure everything within a mile froze.

          Dean turned on Chuck and stomped right up in his space. "What, you think just because he looks like me that I'm just magically his dad? It doesn't work like that, Chuck. You of all people should know that. I’m just here to teach him the unimportant stupid human tricks."   
  
          "Dean, Bobby John looks exactly like you and Cas combined. You've never questioned that? He's yours. He was always meant to be yours." Chuck’s eyes bounced between Cas and Dean.

           "This little boy is with his family - the family he was destined to have. I told you, Dean, you're my firewall. I couldn't trust anyone else with the task of raising him. It had to be you. You and Castiel together. He needs both of you equally. You’re not teaching him ‘stupid human tricks’, Dean, you are teaching him humanity. That’s the one thing keeping him from becoming the universe's greatest threat. You were the only one who could do that."

           “You don’t - you can’t mean--” Dean was cut off by a small voice calling his name.

           “Dad, you ride,” BJ said, waving Dean over to the unicorn. Cas heaved a sigh of relief when Dean stopped glaring at his father and dropped to one knee in front of the child.

           “I’m sorry buddy, but I am too big to ride your unicorn.”

           “Wanbow Bwite.”

           “What?” Dean said, puzzled.

           “Hers name is Wanbow Bwite.”

           “Pappa Chuck brought her for you to ride, but Rainbow Bright has to go home when he does. So why don’t you ride her while you can, okay pal?”

           “Okay,” the toddler said, and rode off. Cas reached his hand down to help Dean rise to his feet, meeting his eyes with a smile.

           “You are such a great dad, Dean. That kid is all you. He knows more Led Zeppelin songs than Disney. There was never any doubt about him being yours. You do all the work, I’m just here to help you.”

            Cas noticed a hint of a smile when Dean said, “Yeah well, if I’m going to have a kid, he’s going to like good music. Come on, let’s make dinner.  You want pancakes, Papa Chuck?”

            Cas watched as Chuck and Dean headed towards the kitchen. He had always wondered why Bee looked so much like Dean. Never would he have imagined that his father planned for he and Dean to raise this child together, but he was sure it was the best thing that had happened to either one of them. 

            Cas made his way into the kitchen just in time to witness Chuck handing over his favorite mug to Dean. “I think this belongs to you now." Dean looked down at the mug and held it up for Cas to see with a huge grin spreading across his face. ‘World’s Greatest Dad’.

 

**June 30th, 2020: 3 Years Old**

 

             It was a rare night when the whole family was together. Between dinner, bath time, story time, bed times, and manning the phones, they didn’t have as much down time as they would like. They had just finished an early dinner when BJ stumbled into the room holding his memory game. He loved to play, and the three men in his life couldn’t refuse his bright green puppy dog eyes.

            “Can we play membory?” the toddler asked.

            “Of course we can play memory, Bumblebee,” Cas said, clearing off the table.

            “Unca Sam, you play too,” BJ demanded. Sam shrugged at his nephew, knowing there was no way out of memory.

             They had never figured out how advanced Bobby John was. He was definitely advanced, but it was hard to tell just how far ahead he was. It still puzzled the men that he liked playing the memory game. It was hardly a challenge for him.  After an hour of playing and one honest-to-goodness win against Sam, the child was yawning and rubbing his eyes.

             “Alright little man, let’s get you ready for bed.” Dean reached for his son.

             BJ hopped down from his chair before he could be picked up and reached for Sam. “Hugs and kisses Unca.” Sam gave a heartwarming smile and scooped up his nephew and covered his face in kisses.

             “Is that enough kisses for you?”

             Bobby John was giggling, “NO!” This was a game they often played. BJ was an affectionate child and wanted tons of hugs and kisses before bed.

             Cas bent down and picked up his son from Sam’s lap, saying, “What about my kisses?” He began to attack the smallest Winchester’s face, as the little one laughed uncontrollably.

             Dean walked up next to Cas, placing his hand on his shoulder blade. He looked down at the child that looked suspiciously like both he and Cas, with his bright green eyes and his messy dark hair. “Hey kiddo, you can’t just receive kisses, you gotta give some too.”

             BJ reached up and placed his tiny hands on either side of his Dad’s face, as Castiel lifted the kid closer to Dean. He couldn’t help the giggles that escaped his throat as Bobby John planted tiny little pecks all over his face. He always started with Dean’s nose, since that’s where his father would kiss him good night each evening. After that the child turned into a kiss monster, attacking Dean’s entire face. It would sometimes lead to some bumps and bruises, and on one occasion a bloody nose so bad Cas insisted on healing him. But Dean wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

             Bobby John pulled back and with a big grin told Dean, “Now give Daddy his kisses.”

             Dean and Cas looked at each other, and looked back at the child they spent the last three years raising together. His eyes were sparkling and Dean knew he wasn’t going to tell his son no.

             Reluctantly he reached his hand around Cas’ neck and pulled him forward until his lips landed on Cas’ forehead. He looked over at BJ, eyes pleading that that was going to be enough. Based on the bitchface he was given, it wasn’t. How had Sam already taught this 3 year-old facial manipulation?

             Sucking it up, Dean decided to at least give Bobby John a show. He took a deep breath and planted his hands on the side of Cas’ face and started with a sweet kiss to his nose. He noticed Cas’ eyes slip close, and heard a quiet sigh.  That gave Dean the confidence he needed and he began kissing all over Cas’ face. He started on the right side, kissing his cheek in several spots, his eyelids, up to his temple. He kissed all along Castiel’s forehead, making comically loud smacking noises. Somehow he managed to hear a soft contented hum from Cas under all his fake kissing noises.

             Dean heard BJ chanting kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, but he couldn’t think of anything other than the sound Cas made. He began to slow his kissing down and stopped making fake noises. He brushed soft lips against the left side of Cas’ face. Retracing the steps of the right. Temple, eyelid, cheek, cheek, cheek, but this time coming to the corner of his mouth. Dean felt Cas’ breath hitch as much as he heard it.

             They had been dancing around this for years. He and Cas were basically married, and if he were honest with himself he would admit that he had wanted something more with Cas for a very long time. He slid his mouth slightly to the right, slotting his mouth perfectly against Cas. It was just a brush of lips, but it was the best feeling Dean had ever experienced.

             Dean felt Cas pull back a few millimeters, giving him enough space to slide the giggling child down his body and set him on the floor. Once he was kid free, Cas pushed back into Dean to kiss him properly. Their mouths opened simultaneously and Dean felt Cas’ tongue dip into his mouth. He felt like every nerve was on fire. Like now, for the first time ever, everything in his life made sense. Like they were finally the family they had been trying to be.

             Dean groaned into Cas’ mouth and heard Sam say, “Come on BJ, I’ll help you get ready for bed. Daddies need a little alone time.”

**November 20 th 2021: 4 years old**

 

    "Dad, what’s a ween?" Dean spat out his coffee, turning to see BJ standing in the kitchen doorway. He had his head cocked to the side just like Cas often did.

             "What?" Dean spluttered out, hoping he heard wrong.

             "I heard Unca Sam tell you to be careful not to Honk your Ween when you and Daddy went to bed last night. What’s a ween?” The innocent green eyes fluttered up at Dean. “You didn’t honk it, did you dad?" Now BJ was sounding genuinely concerned.

            Dean opened his arms to BJ and pulled him up on his lap, realizing how big he was getting.

             “No son, I didn’t, I am just fine and so is Daddy. Your Uncle Sam has a bad sense of humor sometimes,” Dean sighed trying not to let his anger at Sam leak out and make BJ upset.

             “That’s good, cause it doesn’t sound like a good idea,” BJ said, firmly nodding his head.

             “No, it definitely is not,” Dean shook a little at the thought. He was going to kill Sam.

             “But what’s a ween?” BJ was nothing if not persistent.

             “You know what, buddy? That is an excellent question for Uncle Sam.” Dean lifts up BJ - no longer an easy task - and shouts as he heads down the hall, "Sam? Your nephew has a question for you."

            Dean found Sam in the map room working on his laptop. Sam looked up at Dean  and his expression changed instantly from curiosity to apprehension.

             “Hey guys, what’s up?” Sam asked cautiously. Just then Castiel walked in down the stairs.

             “Oh good, Cas, I’m glad you’re here.” Dean smiled a devilish grin. "Sam, your nephew here has a question. Go on, BJ,” Dean smiled at the boy slung on his hip.

             “What's a ween, Unca Sam?”

            Sam flushed beet red and his jaw hung open. Dean turned to Cas who tipped his head in a confused manner, making Dean smile.

             “I uh- Well..” Sam struggled to find words.

             “You explain what a ween is, Sam. Have fun with that. I am curious what the answer is." Dean grinned and BJ looked expectantly at his Uncle.

             “I have never heard of a ween either. Is this another slang term?” Cas asked, looking between Sam and Dean.

            _This is just too priceless_ , thought Dean.

             “You son of a…” Sam begins to curse at Dean under his breath.

             “You did this to yourself, Sammy,” Dean said, raising a warning brow at him.

             “BJ a ween is, well it's… what I am trying to say is, uh – it’s a name for your nose,” Sam exclaimed almost in relief.

             “Why would they honk it?” BJ asked still confused.

             “Well, you know how when you kiss sometimes you can bump noses? It's like that.” Sam nodded, the flush still prominent on his cheeks.

             “Oh, okay. Can you push me on the swing now, Unca Sam?” BJ smiled and reached his arms out to Sam, who stood up and took him from Dean, settling him on his own hip.

             “Let’s go, bud.” Sam didn’t make eye contact with Dean as he took BJ out to the swing set that Dean had built last year.

             “I have never heard of a nose referred to as a ween,” Cas said once Sam and BJ were out of earshot. Dean looked at the sweet expression on Cas’s face and couldn’t help but smile.

             “It’s not a nose, babe. Come on, let me show you what a ween is,” Dean winked at Cas, who had a dawning look of understanding.

             “Yes please, I want a thorough explanation,” Cas nodded, following Dean to their room.


	2. Bee

**October 27 th 2022: 5 years old**

 

            Dean finished putting away the dishes, and headed to join Cas and BJ for story time. A bedtime story was a tradition they started when Bobby John was just a baby, and they still continued to read to him. Lately though, his son has been bored with all his old stories and comic books, so he and Cas had been making stories up. Telling him about a sheriff that saved her town from zombies, and a pretty redhead who fought a war in a land called Oz.

            Dean was excited to see what Cas was going to come up with tonight. As he turned the corner to BJ’s room he heard Cas begin. “Settle in, Bee. Tonight I am going to tell you the story of a superhero. He is the best superhero the world has ever seen.”

            The child interrupted, “Even better than Batman?”

            “Yes, son. Much better than Batman. This superhero saves a lot of people and hunts monsters. His family has been hunting monsters for many generations.”

            “What’s his name, Daddy?”

            “His name is Righteous Man.”

            As he approved the open door, Dean’s heart sinks to his stomach. They always told BJ real stories, but never told him they were true. That was something the child was going to have to figure out on his own. They wanted to keep him as innocent as possible for as long as they could.

            Dean couldn’t believe Cas was going to tell him the story of… well, him. Dean knew he wasn’t a superhero. He did what anyone in his situation would do. You can’t just let people die. But it still warmed his heart knowing that no matter how little he thought of himself, Cas always held in the highest regard. It helped him accept himself. He still struggled with guilt and regret, but Cas helped him learn that he did just as much good as he did bad. There was a time when he would have never accepted that the good balanced out the bad.

            “Righteous Man didn’t wear a mask. He was too handsome to have his face covered. He had bright green eyes and freckles all over his face.”

            “Like me.”

            “Yeah Bee, just like you. Only his hair isn’t as dark as yours. He wore a plaid cape and carried a bag full of weapons. He used them to save people from all the evil monsters of the world. The scariest things like vampires and werewolves.”

            Dean softly chuckled when Cas mentioned his cape made of plaid. Maybe it was time to update his wardrobe. He was smiling from ear to ear when Cas said all the scariest things were vampires and werewolves. It wouldn’t do to tell his child that he was the product of the scariest monster of all.

            “Righteous Man lives in an underground lair with his brother and his best friend.”

            “Is his best friend like Alfred”, BJ asks.

            “No, his best friend was like a superhero too. He could even fly.”

            “Like Superman.”

            “Yeah son, like Superman.”

            “Dad says you’re like Superman, Daddy.”

            “That’s nice of him to say, but he only says that because he knows his green eyes are my kryptonite. They make me human. Especially when he tried to give me the sad puppy dog look.”

            Dean almost gave himself away by snorting. He felt a burn at the back of his eyes. He wasn’t one for compliments, but he loved hearing Cas talk him up to their son.

            “As I was saying, Righteous Man lived in a lair and had a garage full of cars. But he only liked driving one. It was big, black and loud. You could hear the car coming from a mile away. And it was fast. Righteous Man loved his car very much, and treated it like it was a part of his family.”

            “That sounds like Dad’s Pala. Daddy, is Dad Righteous Man?”

            Dean gasped. They knew that BJ was highly intelligent, but his ability to make that connection stunned Dean. He noticed Cas’ head twitch slightly in his direction and a smile tug as his lips. Dean wondered how long the angel had known he was there.

            “You remember how Batman is Bruce Wayne’s secret identity, right?”

            “Yeah, Daddy. It’s a secret because he doesn’t want people to know he’s Batman.”

            “Exactly. It’s a big secret. No one can know.”

            “Then who is Righteous Man, Daddy?”

            “Well, Bee, his name is Dean Winchester. But he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s Righteous Man. So he doesn’t tell anyone.”

            It melted his heart when he saw BJ’s eyes go wide. The child snugged down further into his bed with his wide eyes and his mouth formed in an ‘O’. “Woooooaaahh.” He figured now was as good as time as any to make his presence known.

           “Hey munchkin, sorry I missed story time,” Dean said, bending down to kiss Bobby John’s nose. The burning feeling was back in his eyes, and he found himself fighting off tears. His son was looking at him like he’s some kind of, well, superhero.

           “That’s okay, Dad,” the little boy said with a grin so big, Dean suspected his cheeks must hurt.

           “Maybe tomorrow I can tell you about Righteous Man’s sidekick, Feathers. The man who stopped the apocalypse,” Dean said as he kissed the tip of Cas’ nose, giving him a wink as he pulled back.

           BJ didn’t say anything, just nodded his head with wide-eyed wonder. Dean walked Cas out of the room, and turned back to look at his son on more time before switching off the light. As he shut the door he heard a small voice say, “If Dad is Batman, and Daddy is Superman, I must be Robin.”

 

**October 31st  2022: 5 years old**

 

          “Bobby John Winchester, if you don’t get your costume on right this moment you will miss Trick or Treating,” Cas yelled down the hall. He had been working on BJ’s Luke Skywalker costume for over a week and he would be damned if they were going to miss the festivities because Dean couldn’t keep his kid on a proper schedule.

          “Babe, do you know where my favorite shirt is?” Dean asked as he walked into the library dressed in only a black t-shirt and black boxer briefs. Cas wished he had more time to appreciate Dean's state of undress, but he was busy trying to get a child and grown man dressed, while still needing to get ready himself.

           “Dean, why do you insist on dressing when we get there? If you let me drive, you can just wear the costume when we leave. It will save a lot more time.”

           “I already have to be stupid Darth Vader, I’m not going to be a passenger in my own car in a stupid costume,” Dean grumbles.

           “Your son insisted it would be funny if one of us dressed as Darth Vader. It’s not my fault he got your sense of humor.”

           “But why does it have to be me? I would be a much better Han Solo. You don’t even like the movies, Cas.”

           “Because the internet is unreliable, and the costume was too small for you. You had the option of dropping a few pounds or being Darth Vader. You made your choice.”

           “I’m a dad now, Cas, I get to fully embrace the dad bod.”

           Cas rolls his eyes, and goes in search of his son. “Come on, Bumblebee, we don’t want to make Timmy wait any longer than he has to. Your Dad insists on changing at the Bess’ house before we leave. Auntie Eileen is meeting us there too and she's dressing as Leia for you. Everyone's going to be dressed, but your Dad...” Cas trails off at the last word. He expected to see his son sitting on the floor playing with his action figures. Instead he saw him rummaging through his closet, with Dean’s favorite plaid shirt with the sleeves tied around his neck. Making a full length plaid cape.

          “What are you looking for, little man?” Cas inquires.

          “I need a pair of boots for my Righteous Man costume. Dad always wears boots. I can't be Righteous Man in tennis shoes, Daddy.”

          Cas felt his heart swell. BJ had been moved so much by the story of Righteous Man that he changed his Halloween costume from the costume he had made Cas make by hand because the store bought version didn’t look real enough. The costume he had insisted his entire family coordinate theirs around. He even called Auntie Eileen himself to ask her to be Leia. He had begged Sam to be Chewbacca because his hair looked like Chewy’s. Sam grumbled and told the kid he never should have taught him puppy dog eyes, but he would dress up as long as Eileen did. Dean was in an all-out temper tantrum because he didn’t get to be Han Solo, and this kid had changed his costume.

          Cas burst out laughing. “Come on, Bee, if we leave now we can stop and buy you some boots.”

 

**December 25 th 2022: 5 years old**

 

             Cas sat contentedly at the map table, sipping his coffee with Dean. Even though he couldn’t really enjoy the coffee the way Dean did, he enjoyed the ritual. The tree was up and decorations were finished, making the bunker sparkle in the low lamp light. Dean had grumbled it was too bright for that early in the morning, so Cas had turned off the bigger overhead lights. Sam and Eileen were sitting cross-legged under the Christmas tree, enjoying their coffee as well. Everyone was waiting for the guest of honor to wake up.

             “Why did we all wake up before the kid again?” Dean grumbled, rubbing at his blurry eyes.

             “To finish getting ready before he got up. You know he will wake up any second,” Cas said, rolling his eyes. If Dean hadn’t wanted to fool around last night maybe they could have finished putting presents out before bed. Not that Cas was complaining, mind you.

             “I think I hear footsteps,” Sam said with a happy yawn.

            BJ came running into the room, wide-eyed. He was wearing his Christmas pajamas that Cas had bought him with the bumblebees on it, and still had Dean’s plaid shirt wrapped around his shoulders. Dean had been taking it off BJ when he was asleep to run it through the wash every few days, since he refused to take it off when he was awake.

             “Merry Christmas, bud,” Dean greeted the boy who ran full tilt into his arms. Cas was glad Dean had set down his coffee before being tackled by BJ. Dean pulled BJ up into his arms, sitting him on his lap.

             “Merry Christmas!” BJ beamed at everyone, and his smile was infectious to all the adults. “Is it time for presents?” BJ turned to look at Cas when he asked.

            Cas loved to see BJ so excited. “Of course it is, little Bee. Hop on down and help Uncle Sam hand them out.”

            BJ wiggled off Dean’s lap and pelted for the boxes under the tree. It was a pretty overloaded tree since all their friends and family had dropped off gifts for BJ as well. Cas wondered if he should check the breakfast casserole that was currently cooking in the oven for when Jodi, Claire and Alex came later. They declined coming over at five AM to watch BJ open gifts, opting for a few more hours sleep.

             Sam read the names on the boxes and BJ brought a gift to Dean, Cas and Eileen in turn before grabbing one for himself. BJ tore into the first gift that was from Eileen to find a sketch pad with a whole set of new coloring pencils.

             “Thank you Auntie Leen!” BJ squealed and ran to give her a hug. Sam gave BJ a little nudge and BJ signed thank you to her with a big grin. BJ was better at signing then Dean or Cas, who had both started taking classes when Eileen moved in. Sam was self-taught.

            They made their way through the gifts over the next hour or so. Cas got a new sweater from Sam and Eileen got a car kit from Dean. BJ had the majority of the gifts but that was as it should be, Cas figured. He was still learning some of these traditions and though Dean didn’t like to admit it, he was learning them too, since he hadn’t had most of them growing up on the road.

             BJ was sitting on Dean’s lap again, playing the small practice guitar that Dean had gotten him. Cas had insisted he was too young and Dean had retorted that it was never too young to learn to be a rock god. Cas had let it go and Dean had been overjoyed at BJ’s reaction to the instrument.

             “Say BJ, there’s one more gift for you, pal.” Sam had a nervous but excited look on his face and he pulled out a small package from behind his back. Cas saw that, unlike all the pretty wrapping paper, this was wrapped in newspaper. Cas thought that was an odd choice since they had plenty of paper left over from wrapping the night before.

Dean took the guitar from BJ, setting it on the table, and BJ ran over to Sam.

             “What is it, Unca Sam?” BJ exclaimed, still full of energy.

             “Now BJ, this is something very special to me. I gave it to your Dad on a Christmas many, many, years ago. Your Dad wore it all the time when he was saving the world. I’ve held onto it for him these past few years but I think it’s time you have it.” Sam handed the small package over to BJ who, incredibly carefully for a five year old, opened up the paper to reveal the old amulet necklace Dean used to wear.

            Cas drew in a silent breath and looked over at Dean. His eyes were full to the brim with tears, silently streaking down his face.

             “I love it, Unca Sam!!! I’ll look just like Dad!” Sam smiled and put the necklace around BJ’s neck. Cas figured he must have put the amulet on a new string so it would fit properly.

             “Now this is very special, so you take good care of it, and I’ll tell you a secret - it glows when it's near Grampa Chuck.” Sam winked at him.

             BJ turned and held out the Amulet to Dean. “Look Dad, now I really look just like you!” BJ beamed with pride.

            Cas watched Dean who was utterly speechless, fighting back the tears. Cas reached over and gave Dean’s knee a squeeze.

             “BJ, do you wanna come help me check the casseroles?” Eileen asked, and BJ happily ran ahead of her towards the kitchen. Sam stood up and was looking at Dean, a worried expression on his face.

             “It’s okay, right? That I gave it to him?” Sam asked, cautiously. Dean didn’t say anything, not a word. He stood up from his chair and closed the distance to his brother in two strides, pulling him into his arms. Cas could see the relieved look on Sam’s face. His eyes were now glossy like Dean’s. Cas suddenly felt like he was intruding on them and was about to get up when there was a knock at the door. The two brothers pulled apart and both looked at the floor, wiping their eyes and taking deep, settling breaths.

             “Thanks Sammy,” Dean said in a low, hoarse voice.

             “Merry Christmas, man,” Sam smiled at him before heading up the stairs to answer the door.

            Cas looked at Dean in that moment, catching his eye. He had a new appreciation for just how far he had come, just how far they had all come. He couldn’t have hoped for a better Christmas. Dean reached out a hand and, helping Cas up, threw an arm around his shoulder, and they went to find their son and make sure he had left some casserole for the rest of them.

 

**May 28 th 2023: 6 years old**

 

             Dean was not a runner, but the sounds of hysterical sobbing from his son sent him flying through the bunker at top speed. He found BJ standing in the middle of the kitchen, his face tear-streaked. Dean rushed over to him and crouched down in front of him, pulling him up into his arms.

             “Are you okay buddy? What happened?” Dean asked, patting BJ’s back, trying to soothe him.

BJ tried and failed to tell Dean what was wrong.

Dean looked around the room. Everything looked intact, just two unfinished sandwiches on the table. He suddenly wondered where Sam was, since he was going to feed BJ lunch.

             “Bee, where is Uncle Sam?”

This question sent BJ into more wails of despair. Dean sat down and put BJ on his lap, making him look at him. “BJ, it’s going to be okay, whatever it is. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened, okay?”

             “Unca– Unca–,” BJ sobbed, but took a slow deep breath and tried again. “Unca Sam, said I had to finish my lunch before I could have pie, and I got mad, and now he’s gone!” BJ’s lower lip trembled and Dean was pretty sure he was missing the key part to that story.

             “What do you mean, gone, buddy?”

             “I made him gone, and I can’t get him back!” BJ cried again and put his head on Dean’s chest.

_Holy crap!_ Dean thought to himself. He had feared this since the time BJ had pitched a tantrum about wanting to go home from the grocery store and when Dean had told him he had to wait they were suddenly and uncomfortably transported to the bunker.

             “Are you sure you can’t bring him back?” Dean tried to keep all terror for Sam out of his voice. BJ just nodded.

Dean heard movement in the bunker, “Cas! Can you come in here?”

             “What’s going on?” Cas questioned, coming into the kitchen and seeing the distraught child.

Cas must have read the seriousness of the situation on Dean’s face. He came over and put a comforting hand on Dean’s shoulder.

             “BJ got upset with Sam and… made him disappear,” Dean said slowly and coolly.

             Castiel’s brows raised in alarm but he luckily straightened his face before BJ looked up at him. “Bee, I need you to take a few deep breaths with me ok?” Cas crouched in front of them and put his other hand on BJ and Dean was pretty sure he was sending some kind of calming angel vibe cause BJ instantly relaxed in his arms. “Now I want you to think of Uncle Sam and imagine him standing right here in the kitchen, okay Bee?” Cas smiled warmly at his son.

             Bee nodded and closed his eyes. Dean and Cas made eye contact, and Dean could tell they were both crossing their metaphorical fingers.

             Suddenly, there was a popping sound and all heads swiveled to the middle of the kitchen where a sopping wet Sam Winchester stood. It took all of Dean’s self-control not to leap up and hug Sam, as he felt a wave of relief rush over him.

              Sam blinked and brushed his wet hair out of his eyes, a huge puddle forming on the floor.

              Dean stood up and Cas went over to Sam.

             “Are you alright?” Cas and Dean asked in unison.

Sam shook his hair like a dog, spraying all of them. He looked pretty freezing. Cas looked like he was gonna start healing Sam but he held up a hand.

             “I’m okay. Fun fact, the Atlantic is pretty chilly this time of year.”

Dean felt BJ bury his face into Dean’s chest, silently crying.

Sam looked at Dean and he nodded down at the mortified child in his arms. Sam nodded and smiled.

             “Hey Bee, come on, look at me pal,” Sam coaxed him, coming up to Dean and twisting his head at BJ. BJ reluctantly turned his head to look at his Uncle.

             “I’m sorry, Unca Sam,” BJ choked out.

             “I know you are bud, and see, I am okay. You are still not getting out of eating lunch though. Come on, I’m starved.” Sam held out his soaking wet arms to the child who dove out of Dean’s arms, wrapping around Sam like a spider monkey. Sam patted his back.

            Cas went and grabbed a blanket, which he wrapped around Sam. BJ sat on his Uncle’s lap and the two of them finished their lunch together. Dean was almost shaking from the adrenaline rush of the whole thing. It had been a really close call.

             BJ refused to be separated from Sam, so once Sam put on dry clothes he took BJ to the map room to sit and finish reading _The Hobbit_ together.

             Dean slumped in the chair and Cas came up behind him, wrapping his arms around him and nestling his face in the crook of Dean’s neck. Cas held him for a while without saying a word. The feel of his arms and the weight of his chin on his shoulder calmed Dean down.

             “It turned out okay, Dean,” Cas finally said.

             “It might not have.”

             “I know.” They were quiet again for a moment.

             “Still sure we can do this?” Dean said in barely a whisper.

             Cas paused before replying. “I do, because I believe in our little Bee. He can learn to control it. We knew it wouldn’t be easy but I believe in him and I believe in us.” Cas planted a soft kiss on Dean’s cheek. “Now, let’s go hear what happens to this Bilbo Baggins character Bee keeps talking about.”

 

**May 23rd 2024: 7 Years old**

 

            Castiel was in BJ's room putting together the guinea pig cage they just bought, when he heard Dean asking BJ if he had managed to find a guinea pig he liked.

            “Yeah, dad, I found one, and he's really cute.” Castiel groaned. It technically wasn't a lie, BJ had found one he liked that was really cute. The problem was, BJ cried at the thought of having to separate him from his litter-mates. One minute his son was standing there holding a pitch black guinea pig, telling him he wanted to name it Seger so his other father would like him. Then the next, they were walking into the bunker with six guinea pigs. As Cas heard Dean’s footsteps draw closer, he panicked and covered the box of guinea pigs with one of BJ's t-shirts. He knew Dean was going to be mad, but after seeing BJ crying there was no way he could leave the rest of the guinea pigs behind. 

           “Jesus, Cas that cage is huge. Does one guinea pig need that much space?”

           “Well, Dean, I ah--”, Cas stammered.

            BJ burst into the room and shouted, “Don't be mad at him, Dad. It's my fault. I couldn't just leave them there.”

            Dean looked over at his son, puzzled. “What are you talking about?”

            Cas cringed as he pulled the t-shirt off the box full of small animals. He was worried Dean would yell at him and make him return at least half of them.

            To Cas’ surprise, Dean didn't say a word. He just turned and walked out of the room. It had been years since Cas had made Dean so mad he walked away instead of arguing.

           “Daddy, is he going to make me give them back? I don't want Seger if he has to leave his brothers and sisters,” the boy said as he picked up Seger and snuggled him.

            Cas’ heart broke, and once again, the tears in his child's eyes made the decision. “Don’t worry, Bee. You won't have to get rid of Seger.” The pair spent the next hour putting together the cage, lining the bottom with straw, and setting up water bottles for the new rodent family.

            “Daddy, I want to name this one Jude. And the one with the long hair is Bonham. And the black and white one is Zepp. Oh daddy, and the gold girl, I want to call her Joan Jett,” BJ was enthusiastically pointing to each guinea pig.

            “You know, son, it's okay if you don't name all of them after classic rock singers,” Cas said, picking up the only one that didn't have a name. This was the only other female. She had a tan and white body, and half her face was black. Cas understood why his son loved these animals so much.

            “I'm not giving them all classic rock names, daddy. I want you to name this one,” BJ said, pointing to the female in his hands. Cas was happy to help name the newest members of their family, but he knew his son wanted to keep to his classic rock theme.

            “How about we call her Paige?”

            “Daddy, you don't have to give her a rock name too.”

            “Who says it's a rock name?”

            BJ giggles, “because daddy, you named her after Jimmy Page.”

            “Maybe. Maybe not.” Cas had avoided Dean for as long as he could. He figured it was time to go find him and sort everything out. He checked their room, the kitchen, and finally found him in the library. He noticed books scattered everywhere and Dean bent over a empty bookcase he had laid out on the floor. His tools were scattered everywhere, and he looked like he was lost in thought.

            “Dean, can we talk,” Cas asked.

            “Cas, hey, I'm glad you're here. I saw these guinea pig beds on this website. They look like little hammocks. Do you think you could make a few?” Dean smiled and continued, “There was so much stuff on this website Cas. I was looking for a bigger cage. We can't have six pigs in that cage you bought. Then I found this site that showed me how to to convert a bookshelf into a huge cage. I read that they make a lot of noise, and we won't want them in Bee's room keeping him up all night, so I'm building them a home in here.”

            Shocked, Cas asked, “You're not mad?”

            “Dude, there was no way we could take them back. Did you see Bee’s face?”

            “You should have seen his face when he found Seger,” Cas smiled.

             “Seger?”

             “Yeah, he named him Seger so you would like him. I think he gave all of them classic rock names so you would want to keep them.”

             “He thinks I'm not going to let him keep them?”

             “You just walked out, Dean. We thought you were mad.”

             “I wasn't mad, Cas, I just needed to find a bigger cage and learn how to help him take care of them.”

             “Dean, you were the one who insisted he be the one to take care of his pet.”

             “Yeah, but that's when I thought you would cave and let him get two. Now we have six and he's going to need help.”

             “You just assumed I was going to bring home more than one? Even though we agreed on only one?”

              “Was I wrong?”

              Cas flushed and looked away, “No, I suppose not.”

              “Come on, I want to show you this site. It's looks like it's a bunch of pictures, but it sends you to a different website. It doesn't just have guinea pig stuff. I also found some crockpot recipes I wanna try.”

              “Then you can come meet your grand pigs,” Cas giggled, taking Dean's hand and leading him out of the room.

 

**August 9th  2024: 7 years old**

 

             “Dean, you do realize that even if anything were to happen, I could fix it, right?” Chuck told the hunter with a mocking tone.

             “Yes, Chuck, you never let me forget how powerful you are. I am not worried about you letting the kid get hurt, I’m worried about invisible ponies, mini unicorns, or animal transformations.”

             “Geez, you turn a kid into a fish one time and suddenly you’re the bad guy. He asked about fish migration patterns, Dean. What was I supposed to do? Not turn him into a fish and let him migrate? What better way is there to learn?”

             “Chuck, I am not going to have this discussion again. Just don’t turn my kid into an animal without our permission, please,” Dean begged.

             “Just take your husband to the theater, and let me worry about your child.” Chuck reached for BJ, pulling him into his lap.

             “Husband? We aren’t married.”

             “In the eyes of the Lord, and all that.”

             “Dammit Chuck. If you’re going to marry me off to him, at least let us know. He’ll want an anniversary date. And those stupid gifts you give each year like silver and cotton. You have to take it back, we are not married in the eyes of you. We would like to be there for it.”

             “Fine, I’ll take it back. But you know, it’s been said I look down upon unwed parents.” Chuck couldn’t even keep a straight face.

             “It’s also been said you’re a dick.”

              Dean and Cas rushed out of the bunker, heading to Kansas City. Cas had been obsessed with some musical, and finally convinced Dean to take him. Sam and Eileen were on a hunt-turned-vacation in Maine, so that left Chuck to babysit.

              Chuck didn’t get asked to babysit often, but he was always thrilled to spend time with his grandson. He would often do things to get under Dean’s skin, prime example being the time Chuck turned himself and BJ into Forage Fish and migrated with a rather large school. Chuck had not been left alone with the boy since.

              Chuck knew Dean liked to keep Bobby John as human as possible. The less he acted like an angel, the less likely he was to turn vengeful-angry-angel like his sire. The thing Dean didn’t know was it would be impossible for BJ to turn ‘evil’. There was too much love and hope in his soul that resonated to his grace. This was the main reason Chuck had sent the Nephilim to live with the Winchesters in the first place.

              It wasn’t Chuck’s original plan for Castiel and the Righteous Man to fall in love. He chose his beloved Castiel as the angel to rescue Dean because he knew his son would take an interest in the human. Castiel always cared about humanity more than the others in his garrison. He didn’t create the seraph with free will, it was something he learned by watching humanity.

             Once the angel first laid his hands on the damaged soul of the broken human, Chuck knew they were more than guardian angel and charge. He watched as their bond grew stronger. He saw the moment Dean began to trust Castiel, when he confided in Dean his doubt. That was the moment Chuck knew Cas and Dean were destined to be together.

            A small voice pulled Chuck back to the present, where a little boy with big green eyes and dark hair stared up at him. “Papa Chuck, will you tell me a bedtime story? Dad and Daddy don’t read me stories anymore. They tell me real stories. They think that I think they are making them up, but I know they are true stories. Ones about Dad being a hunter and Daddy helping him”.

           “Okay, little Bee. Do you want to hear about the time I lost a bet to Uncle Gabriel and had to create mosquitos? Or how about the time Aunt Anna chose love over heaven?”

           “Is that what Daddy did? Choose love over heaven?” Bee asks.

           “Yes little one. Your daddies choose love over everything, every single time. Do you want to hear about how your daddies fell in love? You’re the hero of that story.”

           The little boy’s eyes bug out and he grins, “I’m the hero? Am I like Batman?’

           “You are way cooler than Batman, kiddo. You can fly, remember?”

           “Yeah, but Dad doesn’t let me. He says I can only fly in emergencies. I heard him tell Daddy he wants me to be more human than angel.”

            “Your dad has had a lot of problems with angels. In fact, your daddy is the only angel he’s ever really liked. I don’t even think he liked Anna,” Chuck mumbled the last part to himself.

            “See, your dad is a very special man. He’s not an angel, but he was supposed to be a vessel for your Uncle Michael. Only Dean didn’t want to be a vessel. So your daddy helped him stop the apocalypse, so he wouldn't have to do something he didn’t want to do. But that lead to him being cut off from heaven.”

           “Is that when they fell in love?”

           “I think maybe it was. But they didn’t know it at the time. They always thought they were just friends. They knew they cared about each other, they just thought they loved each other like Uncle Sam and dad love each other, like brothers.” BJ’s eyes were beginning to droop and Chuck knew he would have to wrap the story up quickly. He didn’t want his grandson to miss the part where he was the hero and made his daddies fall in love.

           “Your dad and daddy loved each other several years, but they refused to act on their feelings. I don’t like to get involved, but these two were special. Your parents are what keeps the world safe for everyone else. I knew that without my help, they would never find the happiness they could bring to each other.”

           Chuck began to rub his fingers through the child’s hair, putting him at ease. “So I came to your dad. He was so mad when he figured out who I was. He didn’t want anything to do with me. But I figured once I helped him see his love for Castiel, he would forgive me. I placed my hand over his heart. I was going to give him your daddy, and then I was going to give your daddy Dean.”

           Bobby John, who had been dozing off, opened his eyes enough to glare at Chuck. “You can’t do that, Papa. Dad said. He said cupids are dicks and should just let people fall in love on their own.”

           “Well, I will have to teach you and your dad about cupids someday soon. They don’t force love, little Bee. They just help it along. You won’t fall in love with someone you don’t already have feelings for.”

           “So you didn’t make my daddies fall in love?”

           “No, but I tried. I went to imprint Castiel’s name on your father’s heart, but it was already there. In crooked little Enochian letters, it said ‘Cas’. I was shocked. The only angels allowed to imprint names are Cherubs, but even they wouldn’t have the power to mate a human and an angel. So I went to Castiel to seek answers. I had not seen my son in over a millennia. I felt his presence, and saw the world through his eyes.  However, I had not laid eyes on his physical form in a very long time, but once I did, I knew. I saw bits of your dad’s soul intertwined with his grace. You see Bee, people fall in love all the time. They can even find true love. A soul so much like their own they both radiate happiness when they are together. But that isn’t the same as being bonded. When you are bonded by a cupid, it’s for life. Even if you decide you don’t want to be with the person anymore, or never got married in the first place, you will always love them. A love so deep that it hurts if you can’t express it.”

          “Does it hurt as much as when you honk your ween? I fell off my bike and honked my ween. I don’t like it. It would rather not be in love if it hurts that bad.”

           Chuck couldn’t contain his laughter, “Honking your ween does hurt, but not being with your bonded partner is one thousand times worse. Back to my story. Next there is a very rare case, so rare it’s only happened twice in my lifetime - a bond forms on its own. A cupid didn’t help, but still both people left their marks on each other’s hearts. Or, in your dad’s case, left his mark on a daddy’s grace. I didn’t design that to happen. I never imagined it would, but when Castiel chose free will, he changed all the rules.”

          “So that’s when they fell in love?”

          “Nope, not yet. But that’s when you were conceived. I knew the moment you were created that you were going to be what helped your daddies realize how much they loved each other. Dean was scared because he had never liked a man before. It was different, and it scared him. Cas didn’t think Dean wanted him around if he wasn’t useful. He wanted to care for your dad, and didn’t realize that all he had to do to make Dean happy was to stay. So I gave him a reason to stay.”

         “Me? That’s how I’m the hero?”

          “Yup. You were just a little fetus and I helped you show Cas how happy you all could be. We couldn’t show him Dean loving him yet, because they needed to make that decision on their own. But I showed him your first birthday party. Everyone gathered around, sharing all the love and happiness this entire family deserves. Soon after that, Dean realized he was in love with Cas. Then when you were three you made them kiss. After their first kiss, they realized how long they had been in love and didn’t want to waste any more time. When the both expressed their love for each other it strengthened their bond.”

            Bj was smiling as he yawned, “I want to make my own bond too grandpa. I still think cupids are dicks, like dad said.”

            “I hope you can, buddy. Because not even God can stop love that strong.”

            Chuck turned off the light and closed the door. He really didn’t like to intervene, but hoped his grandson could know a love a deep as that of his parents. He smiled to himself, the boy did inherit Dean’s charm. He probably wouldn’t need help forging his own bond.  

 

**July 8 th 2025: 8 years old**

 

Dean was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the masterpiece that was his bacon ranch burger, when he heard small running footsteps padding down the hall. He looked up to see a tear-streaked BJ come running into the room. BJ ran over to Dean and wrapped his arms around his waist burying his face into Dean’s side.

             “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” he asked, patting his son on his head.

             “Daddy’s mean!” BJ exclaimed.

This made Dean’s eyebrows fly up. BJ was almost never mad at Cas. It actually usually annoyed Dean that he was always the bad guy because Cas would cave and give BJ whatever he wanted.

             “Well, I’m sure he is not mean, not to you. Tell me what happened,” Dean rubbed BJ’s back and he seemed to be calming down a bit.

             “He is too mean, he is the meanest daddy there is!” BJ was really upset and Dean was starting to be alarmed.

             “Now, BJ, enough of this. Take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened.”

             BJ looked up at Dean with angry tear streaked face. “Jude… Jude… he died,” BJ managed to get out. “And Daddy says I can’t bring him back, even though I could, dad, I could do it.” BJ gave a firm nod of the head that he had no doubt in his guinea-pig-resurrection abilities.

             Dean glanced up and saw a worried-looking Cas peering around the doorway. Dean sighed and smiled at Cas reassuringly.

             “Come here, buddy, sit down, okay?” Dean led BJ over to a chair and sat him down, pulling up a chair in front of him.

             “Bud, you shouldn't bring Jude back to life, even if you can. Now I want you to sit and listen to me explain, alright?”

              BJ gave him a sulking nod of the head. Cas was still quasi-hiding and eavesdropping on the conversation.

              “All living things eventually die, bud, it’s a natural part of life,” Dean tried to gather his thoughts. He felt like a total hypocrite giving this speech, considering the numerous times he evaded death, hell, even killed death himself. “There’s a natural order to things and it’s part of our jobs as hunters, and protectors to keep the natural order. That can be really hard sometimes ‘cause it means you might have to say goodbye to someone you love, like Jude.”

             “It’s not fair!” BJ huffed out, arms still crossed.

             “I know it isn’t, it really sucks sometimes, I’m not gonna lie, okay? But it’s a part of life we have to deal with. Now why don’t we go give Jude a proper send off like a true hunter.”

BJ gave him a wary look. “What do we do for that?”

Dean suddenly worried that maybe suggesting a hunter’s funeral wasn’t a good idea, but he had committed now.

             “We take Jude and we salt and burn him, and we say a few nice words for him about how great a guinea pig he was. That sets his soul free to go to heaven.” He had no idea what happened to animals when they died but if it was a lie, he didn’t care, if it comforted BJ.

It took BJ a second to reply, deep in thought.

             “Okay dad. Can we put some carrots with him, though? In case he gets hungry?” BJ seemed calmer now.

Dean smiled at him. “Of course we can, bud, after you apologize to Daddy for calling him mean,” Dean gave BJ a stern look and BJ looked slightly abashed.

Cas walked around the corner and BJ looked up at him.

             “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Daddy,” he said with full sincerity.

             “I accept your apology, Bee,” Cas said, holding out his arms. BJ went to give him a big hug.

             Dean and Cas put Jude in a little shoe box and they went out to the garden to have the funeral. Dean dug a small hole so that the fire would be contained and they could bury the ashes after. BJ insisted Sam and Eileen come as well to say their respects. So there they stood, three hunters, an angel of the lord, and a Nephilim, all saying goodbye to a beloved guinea pig. Dean had a moment where he marveled at just how strange his life was.

             “He was a great guinea pig. Always shared his lettuce with Paige,” Cas said, smiling.

             “And he never peed on you, unlike some guinea pigs who shall not be named,” Dean said, eyeing Seger who was nestled in BJ’s arms.

             “He always kept his coat nice and clean,” Eileen added, smiling.

             “And he was the quietest of the bunch,” Sam piped in.

             “I will miss you, Jude,” BJ said with a grim smile. “Dad can you sing his song for him?” BJ looked up at Dean and he couldn’t refuse that face.

             “ _Hey Jude, don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better…  Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start, to make it, better,”_ Dean sang, pulling in BJ close to one side and felt Cas’s hand creep around his waist. _“And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain. Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool, by making his world a little colder.”_

              Dean gave them all a little nod and they all chimed in, “ _Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah_ …”

              Sam eventually went and brought BJ in for dinner, but Cas and Dean stood vigil together in silence for Jude. Dean let a single tear slip down his cheek. _We will miss you Jude._

 

**July 10 th 2025: 8 years old**

 

Cas was in big trouble, like really big trouble.

             Not that he hadn’t made errors in judgement before. Hell, he set the leviathan loose, he helped Metatron cast down the angels, he had screwed up before. And each time, Dean had always forgiven him. He tried to calm himself with that thought. He knew he should have waited to talk to Dean about it. But he just wanted to make Bee feel better - was that so bad?

             Dean had been gone on a hunt for the past few days with Sam and Eileen. Cas had stayed to watch after Bee. The guinea pig funeral had been just the day before, when BJ came to ask Cas if he could take the guinea pig soul to heaven for Grampa Bobby, Grampa John, and Grandma Mary to watch over.

             Cas knew without having to ask that Dean would never approve a trip to Heaven. Dean had no trust for the angels, even though they had all accepted BJ and posed no threat to him that Cas could see. BJ stared up at him, though, with those big green eyes and he just couldn’t refuse him - not after BJ had been so mad at him the day before. Cas had figured that so long as it all ended well, Dean would eventually understand.

             It had gone well, at least Cas had thought so. Bee was ecstatic to see his grandparents and they all fawned over him.  Bee was happy as a clam and Bobby had agreed to “watch” the guinea pig for him. Cas had explained to Bee that they couldn’t go to heaven all the time and Bee had seemed to understand. Before they left, though, something had changed with Bee. He was moody and closed off. It reminded Cas so much of the early days with Dean that it scared him. He spent the next few days at home asking Bee to tell him if something was wrong but he refused, claiming everything was fine.

             “Don’t you want some pie for dessert? You hardly touched dinner.”

              Bee had just shook his head. “I’m not hungry. Can I go to my room, Dad?” Cas had nodded.

             Cas was now waiting anxiously pacing around the map table waiting for Dean to come in. Dean came jogging down the stairs, a huge grin plastered on his face. The hunt must have gone well - that was working in his favor at least.

             “Hey, handsome,” Dean called to Cas, spotting him. He came up to Cas and pulled him into a long, hot kiss. Cas melted into him for a moment before pulling away. He couldn’t let Dean’s practically teenage hormones distract him.

             “Hi, Dean. Can we talk?”

             This immediately set a frown on Dean’s face. Dean looked at Cas and put on a big pout.

             “Oh come on, I’ve been gone for four days, I have so many plans for you and they don’t involve talking,” Dean bent to kiss Cas’s neck and the angel felt a wave of exhilaration and regret.

             “No, we need to talk, Dean. It’s about Bee.”

             This stopped Dean in his tracks. “Is he okay?” Dean looked immediately over Cas’s shoulder toward the back bedrooms.

             “He is okay, yes.” Cas again felt guilty, since that wasn’t completely true.

             “What did he do? He didn’t bring home more guinea pigs did he?” Dean glanced over at the guinea pig cage and seemed to do a quick head count.

             “Would you please just sit and let me tell you,” Cas was snapping at him which wasn’t fair, but his nerves were gonna drive him crazy if he didn’t get it out. Dean did as Cas asked and sat down, gesturing a hand for him to continue. Cas was too nervous to sit.

“I took BJ to heaven a few days ago, to bring Jude to your parents to watch after.” Cas watched as Dean’s face turned an unattractive shade of red.

             “You took _my_ son to heaven, and you didn’t even think to ask me first?” Dean kicked his chair back, standing up. Cas took a slow deep breath.

             “We are both back and we are both fine,” Cas said, trying to keep his voice relaxed. “I wanted to ask you but I was afraid you would say no, and I really didn’t see the harm.”

             “You didn’t- You- I mean seriously, man! You both could have been killed!” Dean was irate now, and Cas tried to not acknowledge the small twinge of pleasure he got from being included in Dean’s worry.

             “We were perfectly safe,” Cas said, trying to soothe the absolutely lethal-looking hunter.

             “You don’t get to make that call without asking me, Cas, you just don’t! We are in this together, or at least I thought we were,” Dean said, running his hands through his hair.

             “I’m sorry, Dean. I know I should have asked you first.” Cas watched as Dean stared at the ground, going very still. “Dean?” Cas asked after a few silent seconds went by.

             “You know, whatever, Cas.” Dean was calm. Too calm.

             “Dean, are you still upset?” Cas asked, feeling immeasurably worse, wanting Dean to yell or stomp or get pissed, but he just stood there, silent.

             “What else is there to say? You made a choice, it’s done,” Dean said and marched past Cas toward the bedrooms. Cas knew it was so not done, and he hadn’t even had a chance to talk to him about the strange way BJ had been acting. Cas followed slowly behind him and eavesdropped on Dean and BJ.

             “Hey buddy, I missed you so much,” Cas peered in and saw Dean giving BJ a hug. “What’s with the long face?” Dean asked, brushing BJ’s hair out of his eyes. BJ didn’t pick up his head, avoiding eye contact.

             “I’m fine, Dad,” he said in a low voice. Dean examined him.

             “You don’t look fine. Tell me what’s wrong?”

             “Really, it’s okay.”

             “Now look here, I know when something is up. You’re talking to the master at hiding what they’re worried about, so you may as well just spit it out now.”

BJ looked up at Dean a moment, and Cas saw BJ’s eyes shining. Cas wanted to go to him, hold him, but he held back, hoping that BJ would open up to Dean if he wouldn’t to him.

             “It’s just something an angel said, when we were in heaven,” BJ bowed his head again.

             “Go on,” Dean said, his voice level and cool.

             “He said… he said…” BJ was struggling to get the words out. “He said I was the spawn of the devil, he said I was evil and wicked and had no right to set foot in heaven.”

             Cas drew in a breath, feeling his heart break. They had told BJ that his real dad had been a powerful angel, and that his mom had died giving birth to him. They had hoped BJ could go his whole life without knowing which angel was his real dad. Cas pressed himself against the wall feeling full of rage for whatever angel had said such a thing to his boy.

             “Bobby John, I need you to listen to me, okay? Do you trust me?” Dean asked.

              BJ looked at him a moment and nodded.

              “I will never lie to you, BJ. You are not and have never been evil. You are the kindest, most brave, compassionate person I have ever known. You are everything that is good in this world. Your biological Dad was an angel, and he was an angel that did some very bad things. But just because he did bad things doesn’t make you bad. You are your own person, with your conscience, and your own soul. You get to decide, every single day whether to be good or bad. No one can decide that for you. Do you understand?”

             BJ tipped his head to the side, a bit confused, but the tears had stopped flowing.

             “I dunno, Dad, if he was bad, aren’t I?” BJ had a little tremble to his voice.

             “Buddy, grandpa Chuck gave us all free will, gave us the ability to make choices. Every time you choose to care for and feed your animals, every time you help uncle Sam with his camera, every time you kiss Daddy Cas and tell him you love him, you are choosing to be who you are. You can choose to be good, BJ, and all I have seen from you is a loving, caring, _good_ boy who is growing up to be a generous man.”

             “But sometimes I am bad, I spill and I don’t clean it up, or I forget to water Daddy’s plants, or I say a mean thing.”

Dean sighed and smiled at him.

             “We all do bad things sometimes, but it doesn’t make us bad people. I have done plenty of bad things but you don’t think I am a bad man do you?” There was a tiny bit of apprehension in Dean’s question that only Cas would have noticed.

             “No, you are Righteous Man, dad, of course you are good,” BJ said as if the whole thing were ridiculous to even think.

             “Well then, there you go. That angel was bitter and angry and only wanted to hurt your feelings. He was wrong and I am sorry he ever said that to you.” Dean bent over and planted a kiss on BJ’s forehead. “Did you tell Daddy Cas what happened?”

             “No I didn’t, I didn’t want him mad at me. He seemed so happy when we visited the angels.” BJ flushed a little and Cas choked back tears.

Dean glanced up to the door and caught his eye for just a second before turning back to BJ.

             “You can always talk to Daddy Cas. He wouldn’t have been mad at you, bud, just worried about you. Daddy Cas will always pick you and me over those angels any day.”

              Dean gave BJ another hug and Cas slid into view in the doorway. BJ saw him and jumped up to give him a hug. Dean planted a kiss on BJ’s head and swiftly headed off down the hall. Once Cas got BJ settled he seemed much more like his old happy self again.

Cas went to find Dean. He had been encouraged by his words but couldn’t find him, not in the map room, their room, or the kitchen. He eventually found him in the garage.

             “Dean?” Cas said, still a bit apprehensive. Dean was silent, leaning over the engine of Sam’s car. “Dean?” Cas said again and he still he ignored him. “Are you just going to ignore me then? I had no idea an angel would say something like that, and BJ didn’t say a word to me. If I had known I would have smited him right there. I still might,” Cas said, desperately wanting Dean to look at him, but he kept his eyes glued to the car.

             “Who was it?” Dean asked in a gruff voice. Cas noticed for the first time that Dean was holding back tears, and they seemed to be tears of rage.

             “You mean what angel? I told you, I don’t know,” Cas replied, glad he was at least talking.

             “You find out… and you end him,” Dean looked up at Cas and his face was stone cold.

             “I will find him, and I will make him pay, believe me, Dean.” Cas was ready to leave that minute, in fact.

             “No, you don’t make him pay. You kill him dead. If you can’t handle that then you tell me and I will take care of it on my own.” He slammed down the hood of the car, still not making eye contact. Actually, Cas thought killing the angel seemed a bit extreme, no matter how angry they made Dean.

             “Isn’t death a bit… much?” Cas asked cautiously.

             “No, it isn’t. There is a celestial being that thinks our son is evil. What’s to say he doesn’t get some of his angel friends and come here and kill my boy? No, I am not taking chances. You gank him, you kill him dead, and any other angel that so much as looked at my boy the wrong way. Do you understand me, Cas?” Dean looked up and glared at him.

              Cas just nodded slowly.

             “You find him, and you tell me and we will go and end him.”

             “Alright, Dean,” Dean turned back to the car. Cas grabbed his shoulder, but Dean shook him off.

             “No, don’t touch me Cas. I can’t even look at you right now. Just get out, get the hell out!” Dean yelled now. Cas shrunk back from him. Dean looked mad enough to hit him.

             “I’m sorry. Dean,” Cas said in a whisper and slunk out of the room before Dean could see him cry.

             He spent the next few days hunting down the offending angel. He came home every night to find his bed empty. Dean only spoke to him to ask if he had located the angel yet. Dean had taken to sleeping on the couch in the map room, and Cas even found him sleeping in the back of the Impala one night. The silent treatment was killing him. Dean wouldn’t let BJ out of his sight and Cas often found him sleeping in the chair in BJ’s room.

             Cas finally found the angel and was horrified to learn that he had been plotting against BJ. Luckily for Cas, he had been in a vast minority and his brothers helped him deal with the offending angels swiftly. He thought about telling Dean when he found the angel, but he felt it was his mess to clean up, not Dean’s, so he simply left a note telling him he had found him and would return once he was killed.

             Cas dragged himself home a day later, tiptoeing in since it was so late at night. He was exhausted and worn from the battle. Much to his surprise he found Dean sitting at the foot of their bed. Dean looked up when he came in, and took in his disheveled appearance. Dean jumped up and pulled Cas into his arms. Cas was so shocked after days of silence and no contact it took him a second to hug him back.

             “You were gone,” Dean said in a hoarse voice.

             “Yes, I was in heaven. I killed the angel, the threat is gone,” Cas replied, bewildered.

             “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Dean breathed.

             “Really? I wasn’t sure you would ever talk to me again,” Cas said in a low voice.

             “I was so mad, man,” Dean pulled back from Cas and rubbed at his face. “What you did was really stupid, and dangerous… I couldn’t… I couldn’t even look at you, but… when you didn’t come home, and you left that note... I tried your cell and when you didn’t answer I thought- well none of it seemed to matter anymore. I would have gone with you, no matter how mad I was, I wouldn’t have let you go alone.”

             “You were hardly talking to me! I know you said you would come but I thought you were just saying that. Either way, I handled it and I am okay,” Cas smiled at him, feeling foolish for the whole fight.

             “I shouldn’t have shut you out like that, made you feel alone. I’m sorry too, Cas.” Dean pulled Cas back into his arms, and kissed his cheek. Cas felt a wave of relief to be back in Dean’s arms where he belonged.

             “I won’t do anything like that ever again, I promise,” Cas said, stroking Dean’s hair. Dean turned and pressed their lips together, and the mood between them shifted. And Castiel learned that night the true magic of making up with Dean Winchester.

 

**April 3 rd 2027: 9 years old**

 

“Young man, you get over here right this instant!” Dean bellowed through the bunker. Cas looked up from his checkers game with Bee to see an irate Dean marching into the map room. Bee flushed red and sunk way down in his seat. Dean stood, hands on hips, tapping his toe and looked absolutely terrifying, even to Cas, and he wasn’t the one in trouble.

             “What happened?” Cas asked.

             “This is between Bee and I. Now come here,” Dean grunted. Bee slowly slid out of his chair, head hanging and stood in front of Dean. “You wanna explain to me what happened to my Baby?”

Cas’s heart immediately sunk at the mention of Dean’s car. Any affront to that vehicle was like an attack to Dean’s own person.

             “No,” said Bee in a low voice.

Dean narrowed his eyes at Bee and Cas gulped on Bee’s behalf.

             “No? You have nothing to say for yourself?” Dean was still beet-red mad but not yelling, which impressed Cas. “Bee, I am not screwing around here.”

             “I was just playing,” Bee said somberly.

             “Playing? You were playing? In the garage, alone!” Dean’s voice was rising now.

             “Dean, take it easy,” Cas interjected and got a death glare from Dean that stopped him in his tracks.

There was single tear coming down Bee’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Dad,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to put it in drive and it banged into the pole, and I tried to fix it,” Bee rambled out.

             “You drove my car into a pole, then you tried to cover it up? It’s rainbow colored!” Dean threw his hands in the air. Cas muffled a laugh at the thought of Dean’s black beauty of a car now rainbow colored.  “Go to your room, right this minute, and think about what you’ve done,” Dean’s voice echoed through the bunker, making even Cas cringe.

Bee burst into tears and ran from the room at top speed.

             “That was a little harsh, wasn’t it?” Cas said, getting up, worried about Bee.

             “Harsh? You haven’t seen harsh! He drove my car and crashed it! And lied about it!” Dean was really amping up and Cas realized he had been holding back with Bee.

             “He said it was an accident, he said he was sorry,” Cas tried to sooth the fierce hunter.

             “Don’t you defend him, he is in big trouble.” Dean slammed a hand down on the table and was visibly shaking. Cas couldn’t understand it. He knew Dean loved his car but he also knew whatever happened to it, Dean could fix it. This seemed like a massive overreaction to Cas.

             “I am going to check on our son, if you didn’t scare him so bad that he’s taken off by now,” Cas scowled at Dean and marched past him toward Bee’s room.

He found Bee face down on his bed, crying into his pillow. Cas went and sat next to him, rubbing his back.

             “Hey little Bee, are you okay?” Cas asked, rubbing circles on the boy’s back.

             “He’s never gonna forgive me,” Bee choked out.

Cas sighed. “That’s not true, Bee. He will forgive you, he loves you more than that car,” Cas said firmly.

             “No, he doesn’t. I’m a bad son aren’t I?” Bee cried again. “Dad loves the pala.”

             “Bee,” came Dean’s voice from the doorframe. He looked absolutely stricken. Cas stood up off the bed and Dean walked over sitting on the edge, taking his place. “Bud, do you really think I am mad about the car?” Dean said in a calm, level tone. Bee just nodded. “That’s not why I am upset.”

             “It’s not?” BJ asked, picking up his head and wiping his eyes to look at Dean.

             “Of course not. I’m mad because you could have been really, really hurt. Cars are really dangerous and you are way too small to be handling one yet. I’m sorry I lost my temper, you just really scared me.” Dean looked at BJ with a soft eyes and Cas smiled with his own understanding.

             “You mean it?” BJ asked, sitting up on the bed next to Dean now.

             “Yeah, I mean it. I can fix the car, I’ve done it before. You don’t really think I love the car more than you, do you?” Dean asked with a worried look on his face. BJ just looked down.

             “Bobby John Winchester you look at me,” BJ looked up into Dean’s face. “There is nothing on this earth, or in heaven or hell that I love more than you. You are my son, and nothing you do will ever change that.”

Cas could feel tears coming to his eyes but held them back.

             “Really?” BJ asked, still searching Dean’s face.

             “Yes, really. I love you, Bee,” Dean pulled Bee into a hug and Bee nestled his face into Dean’s chest. “Now, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You are going to help me fix the Impala first thing in the morning, and no pie for a month.” Dean said in a calm but stern tone.

             “Okay Dad,” BJ said, smiling up at Dean. “But a whole month?”

             “Yeah a whole month,” Cas said with a firm nod of his own and a wink to Dean.

Dean got up and planted a kiss on the top of BJ’s head. Cas did the same and they left BJ to stew on his punishment a moment. Dean looked up at Cas once out of earshot from BJ.

             “Does he really not know I love him? I mean, I say it to him every day.” Dean looked truly worried.

             “Of course he knows, Dean, he’s just unfortunately inherited your trait,” Cas rolled his eyes.

             “And what trait is that?” Dean asked, looking perplexed.

             “The inability to believe you are good and worthy of love, so you need constant reassurance. It’s okay though, Bee and I are more than up to the task of loving you, and you and I are more than up to the task of loving him.” Cas smiled, planting a kiss on the worried hunter’s forehead.

             “We love you too, Cas, you know that?” Dean smiled at him.

             “Yes, I know,” Cas replied giving the foolish man a real kiss this time. “Did he really turn your car into a rainbow?”

             “Oh yeah, it looks like a damn unicorn shit all over it, poor thing,” and both men looked at each other and burst into laughter.


	3. Bobby John

**March 31st, 2029: 11 Years Old**

          Sam had been helping Bobby John study for his history final for the past hour, when he heard his nephew’s stomach rumble. “I think it’s time for a break, dude. Let’s get some lunch. I think there is still some of your dad’s chili left. You want a bowl?”

          BJ followed Sam into the kitchen as his uncle heated up his lunch. “I can’t believe you guys have finals as 6th graders. When I was in school, we did projects. 

          “Yeah, well they have us switching classes so we could get used to it next year in middle school. I have a science project due, but math and history are final tests.” 

           Sam set down the steaming bowls of chili and made his way to the fridge for the fixings. He was rummaging around in the refrigerator when he heard BJ ask, “Oh, Uncle Sam, how do you talk to girls?” 

           He had a flashback to many years ago, standing outside the library, asking Dean the exact same question. “Well, ah--” 

          “What’s with asking Uncle Moose how to talk to girls? I can teach you how to talk to girls,” Dean interrupted as he walked into the kitchen. He sat down across from BJ and started digging into Sam’s bowl of chili.

          “Sure, Dean, help yourself.”

          “Don’t mind if I do,” Dean said around a mouth full of food. Sam dropped the cheese, sour cream, and onions on the table and started to reheat himself another bowl of the soup. After almost five decades, Sam had gotten used to his brother stealing his food.

           “You know, BJ, he’s not wrong. Your dad taught me how to talk to girls. I must have been about your age, too.” Sam placed the bowl of chili in the microwave and pressed start.

           “But dad, you don’t like girls,” BJ said, mystified.

           “What gave you that idea? I like girls. I love girls. I am great at talking to ‘em. I could have them dropping--”

           “DEAN!” Cas cut his boyfriend off as he entered the kitchen.

            Sam laughed and wondered how Dean was going to finish his sentence. He set his second bowl of chili down next to Dean, but then remembered he didn’t get a spoon. He had his back turned for five seconds, and as he went to make his way back, Cas was in his seat eating the meal. “Dammit Dean, stop teaching Cas your bad manners!”

            Cas just looked up from the steaming bowl of soup and asked, “You want it back? I just took one bite.”

           “No, you’ve already started. I’ll make myself a third bowl. But so help me, if any of you touch my food I am throwing away all of the meat.”

           The three other Winchesters gaped at Sam in horror. Dean declared, “You wouldn’t.”

           “Try me,” is all Sam responded. The rest of his family continued to eat their food in silence.

            By the time Sam finally got to sit down and eat his lunch, BJ was just finishing up with his. He took his bowl and glass to the sink and ran a sink full of dishwater. Soon, Cas and Dean dropped their bowls into the water as well. Dean picked up a dish towel and started to dry the dishes his son had washed. “So, what’s this about? Is there a girl at school you want to talk to? Are you going to ask her to the dance?”

            Bobby John just blushed and tucked his head. Cas reached around playfully, slapping Dean on his ass. “Don’t embarrass him, Dean. If there is a girl at school he likes, he will tell us when he’s ready. Although, I’m sure you can figure it out if you have been paying attention. He hasn’t stopped talking about Jenny for weeks.”

            Bj’s whips his head around to Cas, saying, “DAAAAAAD!”

           “Alright son, so if you want to ask Jenny to dance with you have to walk up to her real slow. You don’t want to rush her and scare her off. When you get close to her give her a small smile. Don’t grin and show your teeth. She will think you are a creep,” Dean says as he slowly stalks up to Castiel, flashing his most cocky smile.

           He was talking to BJ, but he never took his eyes off Cas as he continued, “Keep the conversations simple. Make it about her.” Dean took another step towards his boyfriend and said, “Hi.”

           Cas felt a flush run up his neck. He felt like Dean was a predator and he was small prey.  “Oh, Hello.”

           “Would you like to dance with me?’ That’s all you have to do, son. There’s no big mystery. You don’t need magic to talk to girls, you just need to be nice and authentic,” Dean advised his son. He pulled Cas close and they started dancing, despite the lack of music.

           “Gross, dad, I don’t want to know how you got dad to like you,” BJ said, giving a pretend gag.

           Dean and Cas separated, laughing, and Dean dragged his angel back over to the kitchen table and pulled him down into his lap. Sam hoped the child was too young to realize his dad just got a boner while trying to teach him how to talk to girls. He’s a grown man and feels uncomfortable with it. Cas leant down to whisper in Dean’s ear and the hunter actually giggled.

           “You know what, Bee, maybe your Uncle Sam is the better man to ask about picking up chicks. I seem to have lost my touch. But if you ever need advice on how to land an angel, I’m your man.” Dean had to drag his eyes away from Cas’ in order to look over at his son.

           “Man, you guys are so gross. Uncle Sam, do you have any of the brain bleach left?”

           Sam laughed and turned BJ by the shoulders, walking him out of the kitchen. “So, tell me about Jenny.”

 

**April 2nd 2029: 11 years old**

 

             Cas was finishing up putting groceries away when he heard music echoing through the halls. This was not unusual by any means - Dean often played music in the bunker, but not this music. The chords floating down the hall were slow and melodic. This was dancing music. Cas went to investigate and found Dean and BJ in the library. They had pushed back all the tables and chairs. _Moon River_ was playing on the stereo.

             “Now come on, I said I would show you and I meant it.” Dean held out his arms to BJ who rolled his pre-teen eyes at his dad.

             “I know, but can’t you show me without showing me?” BJ saw that Dean wasn’t budging so he took his dad’s hand.

             “Alright now, one hand holds hers, and the other goes on her waist. You keep it on her waist you hear me? No slipping down not until you’re at least in high school.”

             “Dad!” BJ flushed red.

             “Then you need to lead, okay? And it’s not that hard, you just move to the beat of the music. Trust me, if you can lead and not step on her feet you will be miles above the other kids.” Dean started leading and the two of them waltzed in a slow circle around the room. Dean knew how to dance but was a bit jilted and awkward. Cas smiled watching them.

             “Dad... I dunno. This isn’t working.” BJ looked frustrated and Cas decided it was time to step in.

             “Hey there, Bee, take it easy on your old man. It’s not easy dancing with bowed legs.” Cas winked at Dean who gave him a scowling smile. “Why don’t you watch for a second, Bee?”

             Cas stepped in, taking Dean’s hand and wrapping an arm around his waist. The next song came on, _Isn’t it Romantic,_ and Cas realized that Dean was playing all of Cas’s favorite songs from his Audrey Hepburn movies. He smiled and began to swing Dean around the room. Dean was much lighter on his feet with Cas, and each took a turn spinning the other around. Dean even snuck a hand down when BJ couldn’t see and gave Cas’s butt a little test squeeze.

             “I don’t even think people dance like that anymore,” BJ protested, rolling his eyes.

             “Slow dancing hasn’t changed much, buddy. Believe me, you gotta get this stuff down if you want to impress the ladies,” Dean chided him. Cas showed BJ some basic moves for a few more songs, while Dean watched. BJ was actually a fast learner and was passable at it in a short amount of time.

             “You did great, Bee! You and Jenny will have so much fun tomorrow night,” Cas kissed the top of his head.

             “Thanks! Can I go play my video games now?” BJ asked and Dean and Cas both nodded at him. Cas went over and selected a song from the playlist. _It Had to be You_ started playing. Dean turned to Cas with a grin. Cas held out his hand and pulled Dean in tight, putting his cheek right up against Dean’s.

             “Good song choice,” Dean said and the closeness of Dean’s lips to his ear sent a shiver through him. Cas had to agree the lyrics were perfect for them.

             _It had to be you, it had to be you, I wandered around and finally found somebody who… could make me be blue, could make me be true, or even be glad just to be sad thinking of you._

“I thought you might like it,” Cas replied as Sinatra crooned.

             “Where did you learn to dance?”

             “Watching movies mostly, and Jimmy was a good dancer so you could say I learned from him,” Cas spun Dean around and pulled him back in, breathing in his cologne.

             “I never went to a dance before,” Dean admitted.

             “Never?” Cas asked, surprised.

             “No, I always had to stay home and watch Sammy, or we were on the move, just never made it to one,” Dean sighed, leaning in to Cas.

             “Not even prom?” Cas asked.

             “Nope, missed my prom, don’t even remember what town we were in at the time, honestly.”

             Cas frowned, thinking how much Dean had missed out on. “I’m sorry Dean,” Cas said sadly.

             “It’s okay, Cas, I get to watch Bee do all these things, and I get you. I think I made out better than most.” Dean planted a soft kiss on Cas’s cheek and the two of them swayed to the end of the song.

             _Some others I've seen, might never be mean, might never be cross, or try to be boss, but they wouldn't do. For nobody else gave me a thrill, with all your faults, I love you still, it had to be you, wonderful you, it had to be you…_

 

**January 19th, 2031: 13 years old**

 

             Cas was in the library when the lights shattered above his head. This wasn’t the first time BJ has busted all the lights in their home, and truthfully, it probably wouldn’t be the last.

             The first time it happened was when BJ was two. Dean had been on a cleaning spree and dust was lingering thick in the air. He had been holding BJ in his lap, reading him a story when he heard the child gulping in air, preparing for a sneeze. When his little one finally let the sneeze out, it shook his entire body. Three more sneezes followed in quick succession. BJ looked up at Cas eyes watering and red, nose running. Cas could tell from the look on his face there was one more sneeze coming, and it was going to be a big one. He tried to reach for a wipe, but as stretched across the couch, BJ let out a final dramatic sneeze. They type that hurts your sinuses and makes you a little dizzy. As the air exploded out of the child, he popped every light in the bunker.

             The second time was different, although it was still an accident. Dean walked in with a frustrated look on his face, saying, “Your son blew out all the lights in the bunker again.”

            “Obviously. Why is he always my son when he is in trouble, Dean?”

            “Because, all that angel crap, that’s on you, man.”

            “Emotions are ‘human crap’, so wouldn’t this one be on you”, Cas said, using actual air quotes.

            “But he still used his powers to pop all the lights, thus your problem. Oh, and don’t let him use his mojo to fix the lights. I don’t want him relying on his power for everyday tasks.” Dean turned to walk out of the room.

Cas shouted after him, “Any other requests, your highness?”

          “I wouldn’t mind a sandwich.”

          Cas grumbled to himself, “Son-of-a –“

          Cas took a flashlight and went in search of BJ. When he found him, the little boy was hunkered down in the corner of his bedroom.  

          “Bee, what happened? Why did you make the lights go out?” Cas asked in a gentle voice.

          “I sorry daddy, I not mean to. Dad said put my toys away and we get ready for bed. I not want to. I wanna finish my game, but he won’t let me. He’s mean. I was mad. I sorry daddy. I not supposed to get this mad.”

          “Oh Bumblebee, your dad isn’t mean. He just needs you to go to bed so you are not too tired tomorrow. All little boys have a bedtime.” Cas scooped up his son and sat on his bed, taking the pajamas Dean had already set out for him.

          “Come on sweetheart, let’s get you dressed for bed. Could you tell you were getting mad, or did it happen really fast and you didn’t have time to stop it?”

          “I dunno. I just got mad real fast. He won’t let me finish.”

          “Did you ask him nicely to let you finish your game?”

          The little boy blushed and dropped his head, “No, I forgot.”

          “It’s okay to forget, buddy, but you have to try real hard to remember. When you get mad like that bad things happen remember. And you are such a good little boy, we don’t want bad things to happen, do we, kiddo?”

          “No, daddy. I only do good thing. I’ll memember.”

          BJ was in his favorite bee pajamas when Cas told him, “Come on, let’s go tell dad you are sorry and get a few lights back on. Grab Honey.” After Bobby John picked up his stuffed bee, Cas hoisted him up on his shoulder. “Come on little man, I’m going to teach you how to screw in a light bulb.”

          This third time though - this was no accident. He wasn’t sure if he should be mad or laugh hysterically. Either way, it was time to have a talk with his son. Dean looked at Cas from across the table with a cocked eyebrow, “What’s so funny? I thought we had gotten over angry light shattering years ago. This is bad Cas. If he’s not controlling his temper, especially at his age, shit could go real bad, real fast.”

           Cas couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer. He was laughing so hard he started snorting.

           “What the fuck, Cas?”

           Cas wiped away a stray tear and cleared his throat. “He’s not angry, Dean. He found your stash of Busty Asian Beauties this afternoon while cleaning out one of your old trunks.”

          “What the hell does that have to do with the kid throwing a temper tantrum and popping all the lights?” Dean’s last words trailed off as realization took over.

           Still chuckling, Cas said, “Maybe it’s time for the birds and the bees talk.”

           Dean looked horrified. “Not in front of the guinea pigs. Seger can hardly keep it in his fur as it is.”

 

**May 20 th 2033: 16 Years Old**

 

             Cas sat nervously fidgeting in the back of the Impala, tapping his fingers on the front seat and jiggling his left leg. He looked out the window to see BJ standing next to Sam, rocking back and forth on his heels with a grin plastered on his face. Dean came walking over to the passenger side and leaned in, looking completely calm.

             “You okay, Cas?” Dean asked, looking him over.

             “I’m fine,” Cas snapped, gripping the seat in front of him.

             “Well you don’t look fine. You know you can stand with Sam, you don’t need to come along,” Dean smiled at him with a cocky grin.

             “I am coming.” Cas was adamant on this point and not going to get left behind.

             “Ready?” BJ asked, bouncing up behind Dean, positively glowing. Dean clamped him on the shoulder and Cas, not for the first time, marveled at the fact BJ was almost as tall as Dean now and taller than he was.

             “Yes sir. Go on, get in the driver’s seat, before your Dad here passes out from nerves,” Dean chuckled and Cas muttered under his breath as BJ ran around the front of the Impala and Dean slid into the passenger seat. Cas watched BJ brush back his long, unkempt hair and saw the sparkle in his bright green eyes. BJ had decided to grow his hair long the past year and Cas suspected it was too look like his Uncle Sam. Cas liked it, but it drove Dean crazy.

             “Can I start?” BJ asked, looking over at Dean. Dean smiled at him and Sam rushed over to the car.

             “Hold on guys, everyone look at me and smile.” Sam was holding up his camera. It was an old vintage digital one that Eileen had bought him a few years back and he loved the damn thing. All three of them smiled - even BJ couldn’t muster a proper angsty teenager glare today.

Sam peered into the back of the car. “Cas, you okay? You can wait with me if you want?” Did he really look that nervous?

             “I am perfectly fine. Now stand back, we don’t want your big feet getting run over,” Cas snapped at him and Sam chuckled, holding up his hands and walking backwards, casting a wink at Dean. Cas couldn’t help but scowl a bit. He was shocked at how calm Dean was, letting his son drive for the first time and in Baby no less. He had expected Dean to be a nervous wreck but he was cool as a cucumber.

Dean had wanted to start on a small road near their house but Cas had insisted an empty parking lot was far safer and Dean had conceded.

             “Alright now BJ, you remember what I showed you?” Dean asked, one arm slung across the top of the seat.

             “Check my mirrors, and put on my seatbelt. I got that.” BJ had been studying his dad driving since he was a child. Cas knew in his head he would be fine, but his gut told a different story.

             “Alright then, put your foot on the brake and turn the key. Now, she ain’t no spring chicken so you turn that key nice and easy and give her a chance to start.” BJ did as he was told, and the old car, after a small protest, roared to life. The grin on both their faces settled Cas a bit. Cas looked at Dean and the little lines by his eyes, the grey running through his hair, and wondered how it was possible this man got better looking with every year. Dean gave BJ the run through on shifting into drive.

             “Then I just let my foot off the break, right? And hit the gas?” BJ smiled a little nervously at Dean.

             “Yeah, simple as that.” Dean lounged back, completely relaxed.

             BJ lifted off the brake, and began to pull forward fairly smoothly. They did a few laps around the parking lot, Sam snapping pictures. Dean had an arm out the window, relaxed. “You’re a natural! Knew you would be.” Dean was glowing with pride.  

             BJ flushed a little at the compliment. They pulled over and Sam slid in the back next to Cas.

             “Can I drive home?” BJ asked tentatively.

             “No I think you’ve done enough for your first day,” Cas said, shaking his head. They did not need to be on the actual road with other drivers and, chuck forbid, pedestrians.

             “Oh come on, Cas, loosen up, he’s got this. Natural-born driver, just like his dad,” Dean said, reaching forward and sliding in a cassette tape.

              Cas was shocked any of the cassettes still worked, and had a sinking suspicion that BJ may have worked a bit of magic to keep them in working order for his dad. Dean turned up the volume and _Traveling Riverside Blues_ came on.

             “Take us home.” Dean gestured to the road and Cas gripped the back of the seat as they pulled forward. Sam rested a hand on Cas’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. They traveled down the road, at a much faster pace than Cas would have liked, and he began grinding his teeth in anticipation of a crash.

              Dean suddenly put his hand over Cas’s, clutched to the back seat. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but gave him a reassuring squeeze. Of all people, how could Dean be so calm with both his babies on the line Suddenly, BJ slammed the brakes, throwing all the men forward in the car with a great lurch. Dean cursed about something under his breath.

             “Sorry!” BJ gasped and peered over the steering wheel.

             “What happened?” Cas looked forward and then saw a small rabbit hopping across the road in front of the car. Dean had a hand over his face and he slowly dragged it down across his nose and mouth, giving his head a little shake.

             “Now Son, I know you didn’t want to flatten bugs bunny over there, but be a little more careful, or give your passengers a little warning,” Dean said, calmly. BJ nodded and continued to drive on.

             The rest of the drive was uneventful and they pulled into the bunker’s garage in one piece. Dean smiled and looked at BJ as he turned off the ignition. “Perfect landing son.” Cas saw Sam and Dean exchange a look, but he couldn’t quite tell what it meant. Dean gave BJ a congratulatory pat on the back, and Sam leaned forward to squeeze BJ’s shoulders.

             “Not bad for your first time, little man,” Sam smiled.

             “Ha! I’m not so little, Uncle Sam.”

             “Alright, I think that to celebrate our survival we should all go in and try Cas’s new pie recipe. But uh-  there’s only enough ice cream for one slice… so snooze ya lose!”

             Dean jumped out of the car and BJ yelled after him, “Not fair, Dad!” bolting after him, and Cas knew that BJ could beat Dean there but never would. Like he knew that Dean could take the ice cream but never would and would instead give it to his son for a job well done.  

 

**April 29th, 2035: 17 years old**

 

              “Dean, I really don't think you should bring up the limo again. Bee said he wanted to use your car. What's wrong with him using your car?  You let him drive it on his own before,” Cas asked Dean, reaching across their shared bed to take Dean’s hand.

              “Yeah well, I don't want my kid losing his virginity in the same spot I blew his dad last week,” Dean adds, scooting closer to Cas.

              “I highly doubt Bobby John is a virgin. Besides, every member of your family has had sex in that car. Your parents, his Uncle Sam, and his parents. It's practically a rite of passage at this point.”

              “You think he's already having sex? Why wouldn't he tell us?”

              “He's not going to tell us, Dean. Did you tell your father? He's a 17-year-old boy almost 18, one that inherited your charm. I'm sure he's gone to at least third base with his girlfriend.”

              “Add condoms to the list of things we need before the dance,” Dean said, worry lacing his tone.

              “We've given him condoms before, I'm sure he's being safe. This isn't about the limo and this isn't about the whether BJ's having sex or not. What's really going on?”

               Dean blushed and scratched the back of his neck. ‘I don't know, Cas, I just want everything to be perfect for him. It's not like I ever got to go to prom. I don't know what's expected. Wouldn't going in a limo be cooler than riding in his dad’s old car?”

              “First of all, he loves your car. He worships the car probably more than you do. And B, he doesn't need the night to be perfect. He just needs to have fun. If you put that much pressure on the night being perfect, it's going to be impossible for him to enjoy himself.”

              Dean sighs, “I know, Cas. I don't want to put any unexpected pressure on him. I - I just want him to have fun. I want him to be the kid I never got to be.”

              “I know, sweetheart, but we’ve given him the most wonderful childhood. He's grown up in a loving family and he knows how much you care. You're not John Winchester and you'll always be a better dad than he was.”

The day had finally arrived, and Cas was tasked with collecting the corsage and boutonniere. He wasn't even sure if kids these days still used corsages and boutonnieres, but Dean had insisted on it in his quest for perfection.   
  
            As the day wore on, Cas began to notice Dean becoming increasingly more nervous. He had washed and waxed the car, taking several hours to make his Baby shine. When that was over he was still tense, so Cas resorted to one of his best tricks to help him relax - he joined Dean in the shower.   
  
            "Dean, it's going to be okay,  he's going to have a great time."  
  
            "I know, I know. I'm just, I don't know. I'm putting so much pressure on this because of those  stupid chick flicks you make me watch." Cas never pointed out that most often, it was Dean who wanted to watch the chick flicks.

            “I know you seem to think that it's going to be some magic 90s romcom, but it's not. It's just a dance, it's just one more day in his life. Looking back in ten years this is going to be what's important to him. He’s going to remember how hard his dad tried. Even if it’s not perfect, he will remember how much work you put into this.” After the shower, Cas noticed there was less tension in Dean’s shoulders. He smiled to himself, pleased he still had the ability to please Dean after all these years. They asked Sam if he would take the pictures, since he was practically a professional. Since Eileen got him the vintage camera, he had really taken to photography. Cas insisted the first picture be of Dean and Bobby John in front of the Impala. Bobby John had never looked so happy, and Cas could feel his throat tightening and his eyes stinging with un-shed tears.    
  
            After several pictures and poses with all three men, BJ hugged both of his dads, once more going over the rules. _‘Home by 2am. Yes, dad, I remember other dad doesn’t sleep and will know if I am one second late. Don’t scratch the car, and don’t make a new species that doesn’t even have a name yet.  Mostly because dad is horrible at naming creatures. Dad will not have a grandchild called a Lynyrd Skynyrd because they can fly and they can die.’_  
            Cas and Dean stood on the stoop, clinging to each other as they watched the car drive out of sight. "Dean, are you crying?”

            “No man, I'm not crying. It’s just your stupid flowers are making my allergies act up.”

            “Come on love, let’s go have dinner.”

            Walking into the kitchen, they discussed what they would be eating. Cas asked Dean to make his fettuccine Alfredo and he would go to the garden and pick fresh tomatoes and basil for the meal. Cas walked in almost an hour later with a light sheen of sweat on his brow, and handed  the tomato and basil to Dean. 

            "Dude, you were out there forever. What took you so long? Dinner’s ready.

            "I'm sorry Dean, it took longer than I anticipated to tend to the garden. I'm going to take a very quick shower and then I'll be back for dinner."   
  
            "All right man, your fault if it's cold by the time you get back. I’m not waiting." Dean always threatened to not wait for Cas, but he never did start without him. Cas had been eating with the family for several years, and found he could distinguish full flavors instead of just molecules. There were even some dishes he liked, Dean’s Alfredo being one of them. After his shower, Cas joined Dean for dinner. They quickly finished, and Cas escorted Dean back to their bedroom.

            “Twice in one day! How did I get so lucky?” Dean trailed off once he eyed the bed. “Dude, what the hell is this? Why do you have our suits on the bed?”  
  
            Cas didn't answer his question, just smiled and asked, “Will you go to prom with me?”

           “What the hell are you talking about, man?”   
  
            Cas huffed, “Dammit, Dean, just put the suit on and meet me in the garden.”  
  
            He dressed before Dean and rushed to the garden. He wanted to see Dean’s face when he saw what Cas had planned.    
  
            He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face when Dean, in his well tailored suit, walked into the decorated garden.

            There were twinkly lights hanging overhead, forming a makeshift ceiling. He had decorated the rest of the garden to the theme of Under the Sea, so there were sea shells everywhere, and a temporary dance floor made of blue tile to look as though they were standing on water. Right behind that, there was a corny backdrop with waves. Cas had set up Sam’s lights and had his phone set up to take cheesy prom photos. Cas and Eileen spent a week researching cheesy prom ideas, but Cas was dead set on ‘Under The Sea’. Eileen tried to explain to him that it wasn’t something high school kids actually did. It only happened in the movies, but Cas wasn’t budging. His and Dean’s prom was going to be Under The Sea.   
  
            “Seriously, Cas - what the hell is going on here, man?”

            Castiel smiled and told Dean, “I'm taking you to prom. I already told you.”

            “Yeah but what's with all these corny decorations? This is atrocious.”

            Cas laughed, knowing that his decorations were horrible. “It is my understanding, Dean, that many themes for high school proms are Under the Sea.” 

            Dean looked at Cas and couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. “Dammit Cas, we saw one movie where the theme was Under The Sea and you've been obsessed with it ever since. Stop trying to push your prom fantasies off on me.”  
  
            “Well I've never been to a prom either. Maybe I wanted to go to a cheesy badly themed prom.”

            Dean took his hand and pulled Cas closer. “So when does the music start?”  
  
            Cas pulled a remote out of his pocket, and hit a button, starting the music. Dean heard the opening to _Stairway to Heaven_ , and chuckled softly in Cas’ ear. “You are so cheesy, babe. I love it. I can’t believe you did this for me. Thank you. Ten years from now, I’m going to remember how hard you tried to give me a perfect prom.”

  
            The two men held each other close, swinging from side to side. Cas reached up to wipe a stray tear from Dean's eye. "Dammit Cas, you really gotta do something about those flowers.”

            Cas laughed and pulled out a bottle of Zyrtec. “I thought you might say that.” Cas let out a heartfelt laugh and leaned into kiss his boyfriend. “So I know you'd rather lose your prom virginity in the backseat of your car, but we've never christened my backseat. What do you say we give it a try?”

  
            "I am not having sex in the CRV when we have perfectly good memory foam in the house.

            “Fine, but first I want a bad prom photo to hang next to BJ’s.”

  
Cas and Dean stood in front of the camera, and Cas turned to press a kiss to Dean’s cheek, just as the photo was taken.


End file.
